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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24543280">Once Upon A Moonless Dream</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs'>baeconandeggs</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainsblankpage/pseuds/rainsblankpage'>rainsblankpage</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EXO (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure, Angst, Concubine Baekhyun, Dragon breeder chanyeol, Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Minor Character Death, Romance, Soulmates, Strong Language, fantasy war, gods demons and magical creatures, mention of depression, mention of harassment/abuse, mention of rape, mention of suicide</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:22:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>52,274</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24543280</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainsblankpage/pseuds/rainsblankpage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In the distant land of Nyalis, the Great War had left nothing but despair and destruction across its seven glorious kingdoms. Among the carnage, two innocent lost souls find each other through a mysterious dream. A quest for glory — and matter or life or death — will make them collide for the first time. While healing each other's wounds, they will understand that there is more to life than the greed and devastation of mankind, a love fueled by the warmth of fire and the purity of light.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>111</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>BAE2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Once Upon A Moonless Dream</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><b>Prompt:</b> BAE410<br/><span class="small"><b>Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.</b> The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.</span></p><p> </p><p><b>Author's Note:</b> wow, feels surreal to be here again! First of all, I want to thank my dear beta, who guided and helped me throughout the entire process, giving me precious ideas, correcting my terrible mistakes and supporting me. This story wouldn’t be here without her! I also want to thank all the friends who kept reassuring me whenever I felt like this story was going nowhere! As always, a big thank you to our dear BAE mods who organized another amazing round! And, finally, I want to thank whoever will read and appreciate my story, whoever will love my Chanyeol and Baekhyun and all their companions throughout this journey. This story was a big challenge for me and I still don’t know if I did well enough, but I’m proud of myself for completing it. I hope this story will gift you something, may it be an emotion, a thought, a smile.<br/>&lt;3.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <em>“</em>
  </strong>
  <em>Here in the dark, there’s absolutely nothing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em> The place that shone in my dreams,</em>
</p><p>
  <em> this is where we are now.</em>
</p><p>
  <em> Shiny and more shiny, there’s only calmness here.</em>
</p><p>
  <em> Even if I dream and dream,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m still curious.</em>
</p><p>
  <em> Find that other sparkle and reach for it,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>open the door and find the answer you’ve been looking for.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Stay.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dazzling light, dazzling light.</em>
</p><p>
  <em> It’s like it’s beckoning to me,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>in your eyes, I see another me.</em>
  <strong>
    <em>”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    
  </strong>
</p><p><strong>Dazzling Light</strong>, ATEEZ</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>BOOK I</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>You and I, Beneath a Moonless Sky</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <em>“Chanyeol.ˮ</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Just a voice.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Chanyeol.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Just one voice, resonating through an endless darkness.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol kept walking and falling. His knees repeatedly hitting the ground, only to follow a nameless cry. He did not know who was calling for his name, he just felt his heart racing, faster and faster, and the uncontrollable desire to run.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Chanyeol.ˮ</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, the voice echoed stronger and a dark sky appeared above him.</p><p> </p><p>However, there was <em>no moon</em>.</p><p> </p><p>In front of him, a figure stood against the dark, shining bright like a collapsing star.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Chanyeol, they’re coming for us.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He tried to talk, to ask who was coming, what that <em>us</em> actually meant, but every word died in his throat as darkness suffocated him.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol stretched his arm, crawling on the ground like a wounded bird, finally touching that body.</p><p> </p><p>It was warm.</p><p> </p><p>It felt <em>real. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“We’re meeting each other soon, Chanyeol.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>A flashing light and, where the figure laid, a white ermine appeared with a mirror behind his back.</p><p> </p><p>And then, darkness swallowed him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Chanyeol?”</p><p> </p><p>He opened his eyes, panting, choking on the air around him as cold drops of sweat ran down his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Chanyeol? Are you okay?”</p><p> </p><p>It was a different voice, one he knew way too well.</p><p> </p><p>His younger brother was crouching down next to his bed, holding a wet piece of fabric and gently pressing it to his cheeks, drying the remaining tears. Yunho’s big eyes looked troubled, almost scared. His mouth turned upwards as he tried to call for his brother’s name once again.</p><p> </p><p>“I-I’m okay” he tried to say, forcing a small smile and reaching for the other’s hand. “I’m okay”</p><p> </p><p>“You've been screaming for more than ten minutes, <em>Yeolie</em>ˮ Yunho softly whispered, carefully plunging the napkin in the bowl next to him. “You kept calling for someone, but you sounded breathless and in pain. I tried waking you up b-but—ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not in pain, <em>Little Dragon</em>. It was just another one of those weird dreams of mine.”</p><p> </p><p>“That voice again?” He asked. “Did you finally manage to see that mysterious shadow’s face?”</p><p> </p><p>“Noˮ Chanyeol sighed, holding his forehead with both hands. “But the dream was different this time. He told me... he told me someone is coming for <em>us</em> and that we’re gonna meet soon. I don’t know what he meant but, his voice kept cracking, it sounded like a painful cry...and when I finally got to touch him — it felt so real, Yunho. I could feel the warmth of his body. This time... he was alive and... <em>real</em>.ˮ</p><p>
  
</p><p>“What else happened?” His brother asked again, sitting next to the other.</p><p> </p><p>“The night sky towered above the two of us but... there was <em>no moon</em>. Everything was pitch black ... except for his body. He shone like a star in the night ... it was almost blindingˮ a whisper. “But suddenly, he collapsed in a bright flash of light and a white ermine appeared instead.”</p><p> </p><p>“A white ermine?” Yunho abruptly stood up. “Like your tattoo!”</p><p> </p><p>Yunho had always known, but no one else did.</p><p> </p><p>In the dark land of Ignis, generations of families shared the same destiny: becoming dragon breeders. Parents handed down their knowledge to their prole, teaching them how to train the most terrifying of all creatures, and doing it proudly. Other reigns had always envied them, even before the interminable war started, jealously looking at them soaring the skies on their majestic steeds.</p><p> </p><p>For millenniums, Ignis inhabitants had boasted about their dragon tattoos, that permanent mark they were all born with, the sign of what the future held for them.</p><p> </p><p>But Chanyeol was different.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol had no dragon tattoo, because he bore the mark of an ermine instead.</p><p> </p><p>The boy spent years hiding it under layers of clothes, scared of other people’s judging eyes, terrified of being left aside, rejected, beaten or even <em>killed. </em></p><p> </p><p>His own parents used to look at him with disgust.</p><p> </p><p>They called him <em>betrayer, mistake, </em>a <em>disgrace </em>to their family.</p><p> </p><p>Young Chanyeol never understood the reason for such harsh words, until one day, when the old man that worked at the nearest bazaar told him about the Great War. The lonely boy used to venture himself in the obscure alleys of the perennially dark Ignis, tightly holding a lantern with both of his hands while running towards the stale shop, only to hear that nice man talk about his beloved creatures. His father had always refused to teach him about dragons, to the point of prohibiting him to even get close to the ones he kept in the stable at the back of his house.</p><p> </p><p>He kept saying that Chanyeol was not <em>worthy.</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>So, the little boy spent his nights at the run-down store, sitting on the tiny stool the man always offered him and just listened. For hours and hours, Mr. Norfyr told him everything his long life and experience had taught him about dragons, warmly looking at that young, passionate kid with elvish ears, who kept scribbling messy notes on an old quire.</p><p> </p><p>When he was old enough, around the age of ten, Norfyr finally allowed him to breed his first dragon, an <em>Ouroborous </em>he decided to call Flamma.</p><p> </p><p>One day, as he excitedly ran around the store with a still new-born Flamma, the boy hit one of the wooden libraries and a yellowish piece of parchment fell at his feet. Chanyeol unrolled it with the uncontrollable curiosity of a young heart and, as soon as he let it lie on the ground, lines and lines of words magically appeared.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>What is this?” </em>The kid asked as Norfyr appeared from the back of the shop, crouching down next to the boy.</p><p> </p><p><em>“This is our history, Chanyeol” </em>he said. <em>“Years and years ago, when I was still just a child, Nyalis used to be radiant and Ignis shone with it.”</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Nyalis. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>That is how their world was called, Chanyeol knew that.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Our fire proudly sparkled and the sun shone above us. Our dragons used to fly in such serene skies, traveling from reign to reign. We provided ships and breaded magical creatures for all the lands.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The man took the parchment from the kid’s hands and a map appeared on its surface. Norfyr placed it on the wooden floor, pointing with his finger at the first silhouette.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“This is Glaciem, the land of those who protect Ice, the best swordsmiths in Nyalis. And this, its twin reign, Aquor, the land of those who are able to communicate with water, breeders of every marine creature you could ever think of.ˮ</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Chanyeol stared at the map faintly shining in the darkness of the old bazaar, gently caressing the paper as he listened to the old man talk. He kept wondering how those lands looked like, how people there dressed, how different from Ignis everything else was.</p><p> </p><p>He wondered if, beyond the darkness he had always known, there was a place for him to call <em>home. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p><em>“This is Tronitus, the land of thunder, whose inhabitants invented the so-called ’technology’ and this, this is Terrestrium, the enchanted forest that reigns over the earth. The best and most special magical herbs and plants are grown here. Above every other land, forever flying in the skies, stands Eurus, where skilled archers live, soaring between the clouds on their majestic pegasi, protecting Nyalis’ windsˮ </em>and then, he stopped for a second, looking at the last silhouette on the map, the one that stood right next to Ignis.<em> “And this... this is Inluminoˮ.</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Inlumino?”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Inlumino is the land of the most powerful enchanters, those able to command the light, the ones who made our world bright in the very beginning. They used to be our greatest allies, but then…they betrayed us.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Norfyr stopped again, holding his breath as he looked at the child next to him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“One day, they decided to invade our reign and destroy everything they found on their way. Entire villages, animals… and people. They killed our ancestors, our dragons, and tried to trample our pride. Then they stole our light. Ignis never shone again and a perennial night ate us alive. After that, the conflict expanded to all the other reigns…and it never ended”. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“B-but why did they do that? Weren’t they…our friends?” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“There’s nothing more powerful and dangerous than greed, my child”. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>That day, Chanyeol faced the metallic taste of betrayal for the first time in his life. The selfishness, the evil schemes, the thirst for power and glory of mankind, were all in front of him. He tightened his little fists, suppressing his cry and the anger he felt deep inside, the desire to repay those traitors with their same coin invading his small body.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Ignis and Inlumino, the bearers of fire and light. Twin flames separated by the greed for power.ˮ </em>Norfyr whispered, staring into the deep night outside of the shop’s windows.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“The dragon and the ermine”. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Right there, the world stopped for the young boy.</p><p> </p><p><em>“T-the ermine?” </em>Chanyeol asked, barely able to speak.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Inlumino’s symbol... the white ermine.ˮ</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Suddenly, everything was clear.</p><p> </p><p>His mother’s eyes, full of disgust every time she looked at him.</p><p> </p><p>The way his parents treated him.</p><p> </p><p>His father’s painful beatings.</p><p> </p><p>A mistake.</p><p> </p><p>A disgrace.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>A betrayer. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>After that day, Chanyeol spent the rest of his life believing in those ruthless words, hiding his mark.</p><p> </p><p>Until something, or rather <em>someone,</em> came into his life.</p><p> </p><p>Ever since Yunho was born, his older brother had become a hero. No matter how hard their parents tried to separate them, the little kid would always find a way to reach to his brother. Their parents might have taught him how to walk, how to speak his first words or how to tie his own shoes, but it was Chanyeol who taught him about the world they lived in. Chanyeol used to hide in his brother’s room at night, once he was sure their parents were already sound asleep, and read him stories until stars shone brightly in the dark sky. He told him about dragons, about the world outside of Ignis, about the history of Nyalis.</p><p>Chanyeol would also venture himself in the dark alleys with the aim of bringing little treasures back to his brother, like the small, shiny stone he found near the shore one night. It was red, radiant like the ancient fire of Ignis, and reflected the moon on its surface. The young boy ran faster than ever that night, jumping excitedly on his way back home, the image of his brother’s smile lingering in his mind. As soon as he climbed the stairs to the first floor, he started softly calling for the other.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Yunho!” </em>He cautiously said. <em>“I have something for you!” </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>His little brother’s clumsy steps resonated loudly on the wooden floors but Chanyeol did not care, he was too happy to worry about their parents.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Yeolie? Yeolie, what’s that!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“It’s a gift for you.ˮ</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol looked at the kid’s eyes shining once they set on the stone, vividly reflecting the reddish light the object exuded. He was fascinated, captured, completely enthralled by the gift his brother was offering him, even if it was the most mundane thing a kid could find.</p><p> </p><p>Yunho felt as if his brother was presenting him with the moon and the stars.</p><p> </p><p><em>“This is a magical stone, Little Dragon” </em>the older whispered, gently placing the shining gem on his small hands. <em>“As long as you keep it with you, you’ll be safe, because it’ll always lead me back to you. When you feel lonely or scared because mom won’t let me see you, you just have to close your eyes and hold it close to your heart. I’ll hear you and you’ll hear me”. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Even if Chanyeol tried to be strong for Yunho, the sound of his mother’s shouting tore him apart.</p><p> </p><p>He wanted to be there when he was born, when he spoke his first words, when he walked his first steps, but his parents never let him. They locked him in his room with a plate full of food and cruelly made him listen to their laughters as Yunho blew more candles every single year.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol could not be with him but at least, he wanted his brother to know that he would always be there.</p><p> </p><p>Yunho knew. He knew that Chanyeol loved him more than anything else.</p><p> </p><p>His older brother was his guiding light and guardian angel — the hero of every story he told him before bed, that incredible adventurer who would run around the darkest streets of Ignis to search for special treasures, the marvelous dragon breeder who skilfully raised and tamed an Uroborous on his own.</p><p> </p><p>That night, Yunho and Chanyeol fell asleep in each other’s arms.</p><p> </p><p>Even if he was about to get beaten in the morning, Chanyeol did not care, because his <em>Little Dragon </em>happily fell asleep, hugging his special stone.</p><p> </p><p>Years later, when Chanyeol showed him his mark for the first time, Yunho said nothing. He just smiled at him, with eyes full of love and admiration, and took that little gem out of his pocket.</p><p> </p><p><em>“You protect me, Yeolie. People protect the ones they love, don’t they?” </em>He said and Chanyeol just nodded. <em>“I know you’re not a betrayer because you always loved me. Those who know how to love… they can’t be bad people, because their heart is big. Just like yours” </em>Yunho smiled again, holding his brother’s face in his little hands. <em>“And if your mark is different from mine…I don’t care. Because I love you and I will protect you too”. </em></p><p> </p><p>After that day, no one else ever knew.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, like my tattoo” Chanyeol stood up, patting Yunho’s head. “I just wonder what this recurrent  dream means, though. Is it someone from Inlumino or maybe…the answer I’ve been waiting for? I’ve lived twenty years of my life hiding from the world, at least I deserve to know the real reason why I’m <em>different</em> from everyone else.”</p><p> </p><p>“But…you aren’t different” Yunho followed him as his brother closed the door to his room and put on his fireproof gloves.</p><p> </p><p>“We both know I am, Yunho” he said, reaching the back of their house with the other still behind him, fumbling with his hands out of nervousness. “No one from Ignis has ever been born without a dragon mark, <em>no one. </em>It must mean something. It <em>has</em> to mean something.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol gently pressed his head against Flamma’s, caressing the back of hers as she let out the softest whimper.</p><p> </p><p>As any other day, the sun was not shining in the sky. Ignis was dark, cold, with its endless night suffocating and covering the reign like a black veil. The boys silently stared at the starless sky above them, heads wondering somewhere else, somewhere far, far away from the somber land.</p><p> </p><p>Many things changed as years passed, but the darkness of Ignis seemed to be abiding.</p><p> </p><p>When Flamma first soared into the air, the sky was dull.</p><p> </p><p>When Yunho reached his sixteenth birthday, no star shone.</p><p> </p><p>When their parents were killed, a faint twilight surrounded them.</p><p> </p><p>That same day, Inlumino’s troops went further and breached Ignis’ barrier. Entire regiments of soldiers were killed in the process, ruthlessly, without pity, exterminated like pawns in a board game. Some brave fighters sacrificed themselves in order to slow down the enemies’ advance, trying to protect the inhabitants of Ignis and give them enough time to run away, but Inlumino’s army was way too strong for their rear.</p><p> </p><p>They used <em>magic</em>, the most powerful Nyalis had ever seen and penetrated the reign, mercilessly destroying everything and <em>everyone </em>on their path.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as Inlumino’s horns resonated in the distance, Chanyeol ran to his brother’s room, only to find him paralyzed by fear. He hugged him tight, hiding his head on his chest while the metallic sound of swords and horses’ trot invaded everything around them. The two ran towards the back of the house, where their dragons stood, protecting themselves behind their enormous wings and, in a matter of minutes, their parents followed them.</p><p> </p><p>For the first time, that day, Chanyeol’s father looked at him in the eyes.  </p><p> </p><p>“<em>Take Yunho away from here” </em>his voice was not loud, he was not screaming at Chanyeol. There was just pure fear and resentment in his tone as he looked at his sons for what would have been the last time. Their mother was looking at soldiers approaching the village they lived in — the horrifying sound of war getting more deafening each second that passed.</p><p>
  
</p><p>Chanyeol stared at his father for what it felt like years, examining every trait of his face, the curve of his nose, and shape of his eyes, stealing that sight he had been deprived from for his entire life. There were screams, the threatening sound of death, but Chanyeol couldn’t move, completely paralyzed by his father’s stare.</p><p> </p><p>Flamma suddenly glided from the sky and gently hit Chanyeol with her majestic wing, as if trying to tell him to climb on her back.  Chanyeol’s father finally moved, reaching for Yunho and pushing him up the dragon’s rear, smiling at him, before looking at his other son once again.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Save him, Chanyeol”. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>For the first time, his father had called him by his name.</p><p> </p><p>Not <em>mistake. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Not <em>disgrace. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Not <em>betrayer. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Just <em>Chanyeol</em>.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I’m sorry”. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The man’s eyes looked so different in that moment.</p><p> </p><p>There was no hate, no disgust, just plain resentment for not being able to be a father for one of his children. It was late, way too late to say sorry, but Chanyeol’s pure heart was aching, aching for all those things they could have done together, for all those lost moments before destiny decided to cruelly tear them apart. As Flamma spread her wings, soldiers barged in the house and, in just a matter of seconds, the sounds of death resonated through the air and the disgusting odor of fresh blood infested everything around them.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol did not cry.</p><p> </p><p>His chest felt heavy but he soon realized he had no one to cry for. Not even his parents.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol’s heart was full of melancholy because of everything he had been deprived of, but he hadn’t even been able to shed a tear for his own parents’ death. He lost them but, it felt as if he had <em>never</em> had them in the first place.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I feel like something is gonna happen soon, Yunho” he whispered, looking at the dark landscape.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe that figure was right” a pause. “Maybe we’re gonna meet each other <em>soon</em>”.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Baekhyun.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>It was barely a whisper.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Baekhyun.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>It was loud, so loud in the silence that surrounded him, as the world seemed to be drenched in darkness.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun’s petrified limbs felt so heavy he could not walk. His heart kept intensely thumping and resonating inside his ears. He wanted to run, to scream back at that murmur, but his voice died inside of his throat.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Baekhyun.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The voice echoed stronger as a serene dark sky appeared above him but, when he raised his head, he saw <em>no moon</em>.</p><p> </p><p>In front of him, alone in the darkness, a figure hid.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Baekhyun, they’re coming for us.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The boy panted restlessly, crawling on the ground while dragging his heavy legs with all the strength he had left in his body, finally approaching that faceless shadow.</p><p> </p><p>Who was that unknown man?</p><p> </p><p>Who was the <em>us</em> he kept talking about?</p><p> </p><p>Who was coming?</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun stretched his arms until the tips of his fingers finally touched that body.</p><p> </p><p>It was warm.</p><p> </p><p>It felt <em>real. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“We’re meeting each other soon, Baekhyun.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Everything around him was suddenly burning and a fire lit up that endless darkness. In a second, the figure had disappeared and a majestic dragon appeared instead, protecting a mirror between his claws.  </p><p> </p><p>And then, it was all black.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun woke up in the silence of his room, sweating and panting hard, as the silky sheets of his bed fell on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>His head hurt, he felt as if it was being hit repeatedly, and that warm feeling he sensed on his skin during that vivid dream was still lingering on his body.</p><p> </p><p><em>That </em>dream.</p><p> </p><p>For years and years, Baekhyun fell asleep to the silence of a cold Inlumino, only to wake up in that same dream. There was always a figure awaiting in the dark, but no moon above them. He couldn’t reach for the other, it was even hard to breathe when everything drowned in the darkness around them. Baekhyun just stood there, motionless, trying to scream, to call for the other, but to no avail. The figure never talked.</p><p> </p><p>Except for that day.</p><p> </p><p>For the first time, the man hiding in the shadow spoke, but those were words Baekhyun could not understand.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“They’re coming for us.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“We’re meeting each other soon.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>A <em>us, </em>a <em>we</em>, but who was he talking about? Who was that mysterious silhouette? And why did it turn into a dragon for the first time after years?</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun held his head between the palms of his hands, closing his eyes as if trying to remember more about the dream, looking into his memory in the attempt to find even just a glimpse of that face, but there was nothing. Just a voice now. A deep one. A voice that was calm and delicate despite the worrying words he muttered.</p><p> </p><p>The boy did not know why, but that body and voice felt as <em>warm</em> as the fire that burned around them.</p><p> </p><p>It was a new feeling, one he had never felt before.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun’s life had always been <em>cold. </em></p><p> </p><p>Inlumino used to be the brightest star of Nyalis, shining with his blinding lights and crystal palaces, giving birth to the most dazzling people their world had ever seen. They were sorcerers, brewers of the most magical of all potions, enchanting Nyalis with the elegance their bodies held, mesmerizing in their white and silky robes. A warm wind used to blow through the alabaster streets of Inlumino as the land lived in peace.</p><p> </p><p>But then, the Great War happened.</p><p> </p><p>Their greatest allies, those who gifted Inlumino with fire, those people they considered friends, <em>betrayed </em>them.</p><p> </p><p>For greed, for that tempting taste of power, for the fame, for that glory dirtied with blood, <em>Ignis</em> attacked Inlumino.</p><p> </p><p>It was what people called <em>The Dark Night. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>For the first time in the long history of Nyalis, Inlumino’s splendid lights did not shine.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun’s parents used to tell him about Ignis soldiers attacking them, soaring Inlumino’s blackened skies on their monstrous dragons, burning down everything they found: <em>villages, animals…and people. </em>They resembled insatiable monsters, mercilessly slicing Inlumino’s soldiers throats.</p><p> </p><p>As Inlumino died, its blinding light died with it.</p><p> </p><p>Ignis stole their fire, making Inlumino fall to an endless cold, and kidnapped its people to market them as sex slaves throughout the lands. They were raped, beaten, <em>killed </em>like slaughter animals by those they trusted the most.</p><p> </p><p>And that is why Baekhyun had always been scared of himself.</p><p> </p><p>Of himself and that foreign mark on his back.</p><p> </p><p>A <em>dragon.</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>“Baekhyun?”</p><p> </p><p>The boy turned his head towards the voice. Drops of cold sweat still fell from his hair. It was his younger brother, Yeosang. The boy curiously peeked from the door of his room, innocent eyes staring at him, accompanied by with a pair of slightly furrowed eyebrows. The sun was still sleeping outside, but he already looked mesmerizing in the pureness of his silky, white robes, his eyes sparkling when the faint light touched the pearls around his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“I-I came to ask you if you could…do something with my hair?” He said, shyly avoiding his eyes, just like he used to do when he was still a child and Baekhyun helped him tie the big bow at the back of his favourite tunic.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure, honey<em>” </em>the older brother answered, patting the empty space beside him. “Come here”.</p><p> </p><p>Yeosang walked towards the bed, moving elegantly as the light fabric of his pristine clothes floated in the chilly air around them. When he sat, Baekhyun didn’t hesitate to cradle some of his soft, brown hair in his hands and gently brush it.</p><p> </p><p>They had been doing that for the longest time.</p><p> </p><p>Growing up in the royal palace had never been easy. That place had always felt foreign, with its cold white walls and crystal windows elegantly decorated with silver touches. The guards that supervised every door never granted them a simple smile. Their parents left them alone, in the silence of their rooms, with books as their only consolation. Being the descendants of the royal diviner and the king’s concubine only brought them a lonely childhood, segregated in the palace, marked by a rigid tuition they were forced to follow.</p><p> </p><p>They never received a hug, it would not have been appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>They were not allowed to play, it wasted the precious time they could use to study.</p><p> </p><p>They could not leave the palace, not even to walk in the gardens around it, it could have been dangerous.</p><p> </p><p>While their older brother served the king as his personal doctor, Yeosang and Baekhyun could only look at the lights of Inlumino shining brightly outside of their windows, dreaming of a different future.</p><p> </p><p>Whenever Yeosang cried out of loneliness, Baekhyun would run to his room and cradle his brother’s body in his arms, lulling him with the sweetest of all songs hummed in secret. As soon as his tears stopped, the older of the two would reach for the silver brush he kept in his drawer and comb his brother’s hair with outmost care.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun had always been the perfect son, the child their parents always dreamed of, shining in an enthralling beauty no one else owned, but as soon as he reached his twelfth year of age, he grew tired of his life.</p><p> </p><p>As the dream of an unknown figure and desolated skies haunted his nights, Baekhyun decided it was time for him to see the world, to see what stood outside that stainless palace. He wanted to venture among those pristine white streets he saw from the window of his room, he wanted to run under the lights that shone so brightly, he wanted to feel the ice cold air of Inlumino blowing through every fiber of his body.</p><p> </p><p>And just like that, Baekhyun escaped.</p><p> </p><p>He was just a child, but one way too clever for his age. At only twelve years old, Baekhyun had already mastered the art of magic. He knew how to create spells, how to enchant, how to brew potions thanks to all those nights he secretly spent in the darkest corner of the royal library.</p><p> </p><p>With magic, escaping the palace was nothing more than just a child’s game.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun would wear his white cloak around his shoulder and enchant the guards, making them fall asleep with just the snap of his fingers and, as soon as he stepped outside, the world felt entirely his.</p><p> </p><p>The air was cold, almost stinging his delicate and young skin, but the feeling that came with it was of pure freedom. Baekhyun ran like every other child would, laughing and bathing in the lights that shone all around him<strong>,</strong> and reflected in his eyes like stars in the sky. For the first time that night, Baekhyun was able to contemplate the moon, he heard Wakinyans’ songs as they flew from Tronitus, he looked at Lefkós River roaring from beneath the bridge he was walking on.</p><p> </p><p>For the first time in his life, Baekhyun felt <em>alive. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>He realized he was a human being, that his life was his to be lived, that he wasn’t just a lost soul wondering through the endless rooms of that cursed palace. He felt pure happiness flooding through his every vein, running around his body, finally making his heart feel lighter. After that day, every time his parents would leave to fulfill their duties, Baekhyun would run, run away from that place he never called home, run as far as his lungs allowed him.</p><p> </p><p>But he would never forget to bring back something simple but precious to Yeosang, the one thing his brother dearly loved: <em>hair clips. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Baekhyun always loved to look at his brother as he admired himself in the mirror, almost captured by the way his hair seemed to shine with the small crystals the older embed on his locks. Every night, he would walk to the beautiful shops near the river and chose the most beautiful clip for Yeosang. Sometimes they were decorated with precious emeralds, others with silver but, most of the time with diamonds, the ones he loved the most. Yeosang would wait for him at the window, happily jumping on his tiny feet as he looked at his brother coming back from the city, waving at him from the distance.</p><p> </p><p><em>“You look so pretty, honeyˮ </em>Baekhyun would always say.</p><p> </p><p><em>“I want to look as pretty as you!” </em>Yeosang replied back every time. <em>“When I grow up, I want to be as beautiful as you!” </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>None of them knew, at that time, how much they would grow to hate their heavenly traits.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“I—I heard you screaming” the younger shyly whispered. “Are you okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun did not know how to reply.</p><p> </p><p>Was he okay? Was he really okay?</p><p> </p><p>“It was that dream again” he said. “But something was different this time”</p><p> </p><p>Yeosang turned around, worried eyes running over Baekhyun’s face.</p><p> </p><p> “What was different?”</p><p> </p><p>“He talked. For the first time ever, the figure talked” Baekhyun looked at the floor, slash of images from the dream resurfacing in his mind. “Everything was black, like always, with no moon in the sky, but I could still see him. My limbs felt stuck but somehow…I managed to approach him and touch his body. It felt so real, Yeosang. I could feel the warmth of his skin.”</p><p> </p><p>“What did he say?”</p><p> </p><p>“He told me…he told me that <em>someone </em>was coming for us and that we’d meet each other soon…I wish I knew what he meant with that” he sighed, turning his head towards the window. “I’ve been dreaming about him since I was a child. I can’t remember one night without him in my dreams<strong>,</strong> and I wish I knew why the desire to know who he is keeps consuming me.”</p><p> </p><p>“How can you dream about someone you haven’t met? I thought that was impossible.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s what I always thought too, Yeosang. But hearing his voice…it was something so foreign but familiar at the same time. I can’t see his face but I feel like…I feel like I know how it looks like, it’s like I can faintly see it in my mind” his voice was almost shaking. “And the way he turned into a <em>dragon</em> this time…it has to mean <em>something.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait…a <em>dragon?” </em>Yeosang rose from the bed, tightening his fists along the curves of his body. “L-like your tattoo?”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun could only nod, his eyes still wandering outside of the window.</p><p> </p><p>His tattoo.</p><p> </p><p>The dragon that had been engraved on his skin ever since he came to life.</p><p> </p><p>For millenniums, Inlumino’s inhabitants had boasted about their unique ermine tattoos, that permanent mark they were all born with, the sign of what the future held for them.</p><p> </p><p>But Baekhyun was different.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun had no ermine tattoo. He was born with a dragon instead, and it had always been his greatest curse.</p><p> </p><p>People did not fear him.</p><p> </p><p>They <em>wanted</em> him.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun and Yeosang’s destiny had been decided ever since the day of their birth. With their mother being the royal concubine, they had to follow her path.</p><p> </p><p>The two brothers quickly gained fame in the city. They were known as the <em>Angel Twins. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>They were of a beauty that was unmatched.</p><p> </p><p>Yeosang, whose blue eyes shone like the summer sky and Baekhyun, whose ice white hair looked like the most valuable of all diamonds. They were considered a precious commodity to be sold.</p><p> </p><p>And when the noblemen got to know about Baekhyun’s secret, his <em>price </em>raised even higher.</p><p> </p><p>He was considered a <em>sin</em>, a beautiful <em>disgrace </em>and, to those men thirsty for carnal temptation, the <em>danger </em>his tattoo held was nothing more than a source of excitement. For years, Baekhyun had been forced to sell his body to the king and to every other man who frequented the palace and paid the price, forcing himself to be the sensual, seductive and mysterious boy everyone was infatuated with. He learned to wear that mask every day, to the point of not recognizing his own face in the mirror anymore. Baekhyun was treated like a soulless doll, manhandled, hurt, used without pity and, even when his eyes hurt from all those tears he tried to hide, he still had to <em>act. </em>His entire life became an act. The elegant way in which he talked, how enticingly he moved his body, the slicing words he used, those dark eyes that enchanted the whole reign... It was all <em>fake. </em>Baekhyun himself felt fake. He was lost, trapped in a body he couldn’t even consider his anymore, moving like a ghost who knew way too well what his place was. He was rotten, rotten to the core, rotten in the deepest and loneliest nooks of his soul.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Broken. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Shattered. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>It was hard to remember how being touched with love felt like, how to be <em>alive. </em>Those touches were rough, sinful, merciless and <em>cold</em> as Inlumino itself.</p><p> </p><p>But it was the price he had to pay.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah…a dragon.”</p><p> </p><p>“But what does it mean? Why <em>now</em>?” Yeosang asked. “You’ve been dreaming about him since you were just a kid and the dream has always been the same but... why did something change <em>now</em>, after so many years?”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun sighed, stare fixed on the window.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know. I don’t know why <em>now</em>, I don’t know what is gonna happen…but I feel like this isn’t just a casualty. It can’t be. He was trying to tell me something. It has to mean something” he said. “I studied magic and divination for the longest time, Yeosang. I studied premonitory dreams. They exist and they’re powerful, way too powerful to be understood by us humans, but they never come for nothing. They’re never meaningless.”</p><p> </p><p>He turned his head, staring at his brother’s eyes with the faintest smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Those dreams have to be sent by someone. Someone with a magical power that goes beyond ours” he said again. “Inlumino’s greatest sorcerers have tried to understand the magic behind them to use them as a weapon during the war, but they always failed. None of them ever managed to produce one, because they’re something that exceeds the human mind”</p><p> </p><p>“What are you…trying to say”</p><p> </p><p>“Someone way above us sent me those dreams. And they’re trying to tell me something, they’re trying to <em>warn </em>me” a pause. “I just wish I knew <em>what.” </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Baekhyun stood up and the white night gown he wore slid down the curves of his body.</p><p> </p><p>He was scared. Scared of the unknown. Scared of something his mind still couldn’t understand.</p><p> </p><p>But, deeply buried inside his heart, a warm feeling bloomed.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“We’re meeting each other soon, Baekhyun”. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p><em>♦</em>♢<em>♦</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Baekhyun was in a hurry.</p><p> </p><p>His white silk robe was floating in the air as he ran down the palace’s endless corridors, panting like never before. He was never late, not even when he cried himself to sleep every night, back when his nightmare just started. But that dream, that fragment of memory he couldn’t forget, was still haunting him. Baekhyun tried to fall back to sleep after Yeosang left his room, in the desperate hope of dreaming about <em>him </em>again, praying for <em>him</em> to say something else, to let him hear that deep voice again. But to no avail. The dream didn’t come back.</p><p> </p><p>And now he had to run, because the king himself had asked for his presence.</p><p> </p><p>It was hard to run while putting the shining diamond pins in his hair and tying the bow at the back of his tunic at the same time, but there was no time. When the king called, it was his duty to run to him as soon as possible.</p><p> </p><p>But suddenly something happened.</p><p> </p><p>Something that made Baekhyun fall to the floor, just like it had happened in the dream.</p><p> </p><p>A <em>flash</em>.</p><p> </p><p>A white flash slicing the sky in half, making the earth tremble under its power.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun closed his eyes, protecting them with the palms of his hands as he waited for that terrifying moment to stop. It finally did, just a few seconds later, disappearing as if nothing had happened. The boy raised his head, supporting himself with a hand on the wall and slowly standing up, still looking outside of the window, looking for that something that faded away without a trace. A shiver shook Baekhyun’s body and a weird feeling settled in his chest, something telling him to run towards the opposite direction of where he was running to. He decided to ignore the king’s request and instinctively screamed his brothers’ names.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Yixing! Yeosang!” </em>He tried to say, but his words were cut short when different voices reached his ears from the chamber right next to him. Baekhyun leaned in, cautiously peeking from the slightly opened door, recognizing the men’s faces.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>A message?” </em>It was one of the royal diviners<strong>,</strong> and his tone sounded scared. <em>“What do you mean you received a message?” </em></p><p> </p><p>He was talking to someone, one he couldn’t see nor hear, because the man was barely whispering. But something, just the tiniest of words, reached his ears.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Quest.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>♦</em>♢<em>♦</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Chanyeol was running, passing by Ignis’ dark streets and meadows, pushing people left and right. He ran, ran until his lungs burnt, only to reach the town’s central square, right where the antique palace arose.</p><p> </p><p>A <em>flash. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>A red flash that stabbed Ignis’ dark vault.</p><p> </p><p>It was blinding, so blinding that Chanyeol’s eyes felt on fire. His head kept spinning, remembering the white flash from the dream and how the ermine appeared, so similar to the way that bright light shone over the endless darkness of Ignis.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“We’re meeting each other soon, Chanyeol” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>That voice kept resonating in his head, so loud and clear, so warm and familiar but unknown at the same time. Chanyeol’s chest was burning, burning with a tingling sensation that didn’t leave him even when the flash disappeared. Everyone around him kept talking, sharing words with one another as their voices mixed in an uncontrollable noise.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“It was magic.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Was it a message? From the Gods?” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“I saw the royal diviners running to the palace as soon as the flash disappeared. They looked scared and kept talking to each other. I think I heard one of them talking about something.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Chanyeol neared the man talking, leaning in, but he was only able to hear one word.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Quest.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>What did they mean? Chanyeol had no clue, but there was something tingling his insides. A weird feeling, the sensation of a small flame burning inside his chest, something that kept bringing him back to that dream. The unknown voice kept mixing with the noise around him, making his head pulse as fast as his heart.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“We’re meeting each other soon.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Quest.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Did it mean something? Were the two events connected? Could it be…a premonitory dream?</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol never believed in premonitions, not even after having the same recurrent dream every night but, that day he felt as if his mind was trying to tell him something. Something important. But, was it really his mind, or was it <em>someone </em>trying to communicate with him? Were they trying to send him a message? Was that flash a sign of what was coming? Chanyeol did not know.</p><p> </p><p>He felt like he was drowning inside his own mind, lost in dark water, barely breathing. It was like the world had suddenly started to spin really fast and, he could not even stand on his feet anymore, trying hard to stop his head from thumping hard with the palms of his hands.</p><p> </p><p>But then, a voice.</p><p> </p><p>It was not the one he was waiting for, but perhaps, it was the start of a new beginning.</p><p> </p><p>“Land of Ignis!” The royal diviner shouted, standing tall with his red tunic at the center of the square. “Today, we received a message from the Gods!”</p><p> </p><p>People around him started to whisper and he could hear the sound of his brother’s voice getting nearer as he ran through the crowd.</p><p> </p><p>“They finally talked to us, after so many decades! The skies blessed our reign with a news” a pause. “The key to the end of the Great War!”</p><p> </p><p>Silence.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>A quest.” </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Chanyeol’s heart stopped.</p><p> </p><p>“A quest to finally end this war!” he continued. “Every reign will send its challenger to represent the honour of their land, in a mission to find the <em>treasure</em>, the key to <em>power</em>, <em>gold, eternal life and fame!” </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>He felt like drowning, gasping for air. </p><p> </p><p>“<em>The reign that wins the quest, wins the war.</em>”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> ♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun could not breathe.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“A quest.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The voice of the royal diviner kept resonating in his head, loud, defeating, hurting like daggers penetrating his brain. He could see the man talking from outside of the window, right in front of the palace gates, where a crowd of scared villagers gathered.</p><p> </p><p>“Seven reigns fighting for victory but, in the end, only one will still stand” he continued. “We have faith that the Gods chose our representative wisely and that Inlumino will return to its ancient glory, the glory that was brutally stolen from us! Rise from your ashes, Inlumino!”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun could feel it.</p><p> </p><p>It was that feeling of excitement mixed with fear, the impression that something was about to happen, that sensation that was making him feel on edge.</p><p> </p><p>“We shall fight against those who stole our fire, those who heartlessly betrayed us” the crowd erupted in cheers. “<em>Ignis will see the power of Inlumino!”</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Just like that, Baekhyun ran away.</p><p> </p><p>On the other side of Nyalis, someone ran away too.</p><p> </p><p>Neither of them knew that destiny would catch them soon enough.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Chanyeol.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>It was that voice.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Chanyeol, they’re here.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>He spoke again.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol walked closer and closer, reaching for that blinding source of light in the middle of the darkness.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“They’re here.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“They came for you.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The boy listened to those words, wondering what they meant, trying to touch the body in front of him. It was as if that light had dimmed just a bit, enabling Chanyeol to trace with his eyes the outline of the figure in front of him. It was a boy. He looked small, as delicate as the white fabric of his clothes, shining with the light that surrounded him. A soft breeze blew and, the pristine white hair of the boy gently floated in the air, making him look like an angel. Chanyeol still could not see his face, since the boy was turned towards the opposite side but, it was as if, slowly but steadily, his dreams were allowing him to discover the identity of that nameless voice.</p><p> </p><p>When Chanyeol finally reached for him, he was cold.</p><p> </p><p>Cold but, for sure, <em>alive</em>.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Don’t trust Them, Chanyeol” </em>the voice kept talking.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Stay true to yourself. Don’t let them taint your pure heart.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>He could not understand but the need to come closer and closer to that body grew stronger. His voice sounded like a pure enchantment and Chanyeol was captured, nearing him even more, so close that he could smell the scent of his hair. <em>White musk</em>, he thought.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“See you soon, Chanyeol.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>And everything was black again.</p><p> </p><p>When he woke up, only darkness and a <em>scream </em>welcomed him.</p><p> </p><p>For a second, Chanyeol did not understand if he was still inside the dream but, as soon as he realized whose voice it was, he ran.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Yunho. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>It was his brother’s voice, screaming in the middle of the night, but he could distinctly hear someone else talking and telling the boy to keep his mouth shut. Chanyeol armed himself with an old sword he kept under his bed, raising it above his head and running towards the intruders but, he soon understood that there was nothing he could do.</p><p> </p><p>Three royal soldiers and a diviner were inside the house, holding his brother by the arms with a dagger dangerously pressed to his throat.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol’s heart sank, deeper and deeper into his body, he felt as if it had been crushed and burt into ashes at his feet. Yunho was crying. His tears kept falling on the metallic blade of the dagger that was already stained with blood. Chanyeol was shaking, still holding his sword up high, but he could not even concentrate on the intruders: he could only see his brother, his <em>Little Dragon, </em>terrified — just like that day, when their parents disappeared.</p><p> </p><p>“Park Chanyeol?” The diviner spoke. It was a middle aged man with hooded eyes and a long, grey beard that contrasted with the bloody red of his vest and his hairless head. The man was looking at him, showing no pity for the innocent boy who kept crying just a few meters away from him.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol could only stare at Yunho.</p><p> </p><p>“Let him go” he tried to say. “Let him go!”</p><p> </p><p>The man did not even flinch and stubbornly asked again: “Are you Park Chanyeol?”</p><p> </p><p>He nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“I came here to inform you that the Gods<em> have chosen you” </em>he smiled, but his eyes were evil.</p><p> </p><p>“Congratulations, Park Chanyeol. You will represent our glorious reign during the quest.”</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, the world had stopped.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol saw Yunho freeze in the arms of the two soldiers, tears completely frozen on his face. He could feel the man’s eyes piercing holes into his skin, burning like fire, digging into his flesh towards his bones. He was still smiling but it morphed into a grin, the one of a monster, as he slowly walked to Chanyeol.</p><p> </p><p>“You better bring that treasure back to Ignis” he whispered, forcefully holding Chanyeol from his chin. “The king wants to win this war, and a kid like you could use some money. You stink of poverty.”</p><p> </p><p>“I won’t do it” Chanyeol replied, bravely locking eyes with the other.</p><p> </p><p>The diviner laughed and he could feel that voice flowing through his every vein, resonating inside every fiber of his skin, rumbling inside his brain. It sounded evil, as evil as his eyes. The mocking and disgusting laugh of a monster who knew nothing but greed.</p><p> </p><p>“You won’t do it?” another chuckle. “Well then, say goodbye to your little brother.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol’s expression petrified.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re done playing the hero now, huh?” He said, mocking eyes still staring at the boy. “I have no idea why the Gods chose a pathetic, poor kid like you, but they better be right because the king has no intention to lose this war. Come back with the treasure or don’t come back at all.”</p><p> </p><p>A punch, right to his stomach, had Chanyeol’s insides writhe. He stood there, with his head lowered, eyes on the floor, taking in each of those disgusted words and feeling ashamed of himself. He could feel Yunho’s crying stare on him, it was piercing and hurt like acid on his flesh.</p><p> </p><p>“L-let him go” he whispered. “Let him go. You already have me, there’s n-no need to take him too.”</p><p> </p><p>And in that moment, that monstrous laugh echoed even stronger, bouncing on the walls and coming back to him with the force of a cannon. It sounded like a dragon’s roar but evil, terrifying, dirty and almost thirsty for desperation.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s our <em>warranty</em>, kid” a pause. “With your little brother in our hands, we’re sure you’ll do your absolute best to win the quest. Am I right?”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol had thought about death more than one time during his life. Right there, under the mocking stare of that evil man and the soldiers, the desire to just take out his sword and slice his throat open tempted him like never before. He wanted to die, to rot in the only place he really felt worthy of: Hell.</p><p> </p><p>Yunho was the only person he had.</p><p> </p><p>The only person who had caressed his hair every time a storm struck.</p><p> </p><p>The only person who welcome him with a smile whenever he came back from the dragons’ stall — always in the kitchen, cooking him his favourite dishes with the scarce food they had.</p><p> </p><p>The only person who made that house feel warm.</p><p> </p><p>The only person who made him feel worthy of being <em>alive. </em></p><p> </p><p>Many times Chanyeol had wished for the earth to just swallow him whole, to take him away from a world that did not want him, suffocating him in a darkness so deep that no one could have seen through. Sometimes he just wanted to suffer, to feel the pain of a dagger cutting though his skin, just to remember that he was alive, that he actually existed, that he was not just a wandering ghost lost in the wrong nightmare. He wanted to succumb, to disappear into the darkness of Ignis. No one would remember him. No one would put flowers on his grave, no one would cry for him, no one would want to take his place.</p><p> </p><p>Except for one person. His only person.</p><p> </p><p>Yunho.</p><p> </p><p>“I will come back” he said, even if he felt the air around choking him.</p><p> </p><p>“Remember” the man talked again. “You either come back with the treasure… or your brother will follow you to the Afterlife.”</p><p> </p><p>As he felt the hilt of a sword hitting his head, Chanyeol looked at his brother one last time.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I’ll come back.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Barely a whisper, before the darkness finally took him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“We’ll meet each other soon, Chanyeol” </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It was barely the sunrise.</p><p> </p><p>The sky outside the palace was red, almost bloody, and the sun still looked too sleepy to shine. When he heard the king calling, Baekhyun rose from his bed as fast as possible, frantically combing his hair on his way.</p><p> </p><p>He felt his heart beating in his throat.</p><p> </p><p>Usually, the king never woke up before the sun. Baekhyun was used to his sudden calls, but they were never this early, it never sounded that <em>urgent. </em>The guard that woke him up from his sleep looked rushed, almost scared, and his voice was trembling, hesitant to even utter a word. The palace was also strangely empty. Usually, despite the coldness of its walls, the royal palace looked lively, full of people running around the corridors, maids entering the chambers, the diviners making their way to the king’s room as they loudly talked, other concubines sharing the newest secrets of the court and their children playing happily in the gardens.</p><p> </p><p>But that morning, everything was drown in an absolute silence.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun was worried.</p><p> </p><p>His mind kept telling him that something was happening, what he dreamt the night before still making his skin crawl.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Baekhyun.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He vividly remember how that deep yet sweet voice uttered his name.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Don’t trust him, Baekhyun.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>He reached for the figure, while that voice caressed his skin like freshly washed silk. Baekhyun felt as if an aura of intimacy surrounded them, despite the scary words the man kept saying. He could not understand, but maybe he just did not want to. Baekhyun just wanted to touch the body in front of him, to feel that warmth on the tip of his fingers, to bathe in the scorching sensation his heart kept feeling.</p><p> </p><p><em>“He doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself” </em>said again. <em>“You’re worth so much more than what he says.” </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Baekhyun looked at the man, eyes tinted with tears. He could not see him, he did not even know how his face looked like, nor what his expression was, but he felt loved, cared for. For the first time in his life, Baekhyun was not an <em>object. </em>He did not feel like a toy, a pretty bauble to play with, a useless adornment in the hands of nobility. He felt worthy of living something better than what destiny had always offered him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“See you soon, Baekhyun.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>But then, just black.</p><p> </p><p>Even after waking up, Baekhyun could still feel the warmth surrounding him, hugging him like a blanket during a storm, protecting him. But in that moment, those words troubled his mind.</p><p> </p><p>“You asked for me, your Majesty?” He slowly opened the enormous doors of the chamber, peeking inside.</p><p> </p><p>The king stood in front of his desk, his armchair turned towards the gigantic windows, where the rising sun could be seen outside.</p><p> </p><p>“Not me, Baekhyun” his voice was low. “The Gods. The Gods asked for <em>you.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>The Gods. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“You heard about the quest, Baekhyun. Am I right?” The king stood up, suddenly looking at him.</p><p> </p><p>He could just nod.</p><p> </p><p>“They chose you” he said again. “They chose you to represent Inlumino during the glorious quest.”</p><p> </p><p>His heart was suddenly on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun’s throat was dry and his chest almost hurt due to how fast he was breathing. He walked inside the chamber, sitting on the closest chair he could find before letting his body collapse.</p><p> </p><p>“But don’t worry, you won’t leave. We will choose someone else to go instead.”</p><p> </p><p>He stopped.</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“I said you won’t leave. I already made my decision, Baekhyun” he was not even looking at him. He kept playing with the silver necklace dangling from his neck, as if he was not even worthy of being looked at. “We need to win this war and I won’t lose the chance to finally gain back our power because the Gods made a <em>mistake. </em>Inlumino has the greatest sorcerers Nyalis has ever seen and they chose…<em>you. </em>A concubine.”</p><p> </p><p>Something was starting to burn deep inside Baekhyun’s chest.</p><p> </p><p>It was rage, fury, pure disgust for the man that kept talking to him as if he was nothing more than an animal. His hands were shaking. Baekhyun could not even raise his head from the floor.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going” he said, but the king just laughed at him.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re just a concubine, Baekhyun. A pretty toy to play with, a stress reliever I would say. A really talented one, that’s for sure…but nothing more than that” he giggled again. “You were born for this and this is how you’ll die one day, when you won’t be <em>useful </em>anymore.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“He doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“You’re worth so much more than what he says.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“I said I’m going” a severe, confident tone. “The Gods chose me for a reason.”</p><p> </p><p>Just another laugh, resonating through the room, sending him into the deepest despair, cutting his skin open like a silver dagger.</p><p> </p><p>“I learnt how to use magic when I was just a kid, all by myself. I can do things your greatest diviners always failed to do. I know how to fight with a sword, how to brew potions, how to enchant and make others comply to my will” the king finally looked at him. “They didn’t make a mistake. They know there’s no one as strong as me in Inluminoˮ</p><p> </p><p>“You think so?” his mocking tone hid a laugh, it was clear he was not taking him seriously.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, I’m sure of it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then prove it, <em>concubine” </em>another giggle, but it sounded more evil, almost darker. It was the laugh of someone who held the dagger from the handle. “But you better come back with that damn treasure in your pretty hands or else your brothers are <em>dead.”</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>It suddenly felt like his heart made of glass just exploded into pieces inside his chest.</p><p> </p><p>“You can’t—you can’t do that” it was hard to breathe when that man kept staring at him, with that disgusting smile plastered on his triumphant face. It kept morphing, changing into the fleer of a monster and Baekhyun could imagine drops of blood falling from his teeth. “My parents—you swore! You swore you would protect us—you promised them!”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re still <em>my property, </em>Baekhyun. Your brothers, you, and all the people who work for me. I <em>own</em> all of you. I’m the king, and you’re just a bunch of servants.” he said again, spitting on Baekhyun’s face, slowly tracing his jawline with one finger. “Let’s say I’ve always been…pretty much lenient with you, but don’t think it’s because you’re special. You are just the best <em>sex </em>I’ve ever had.”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun felt delved as all those memories he always tried to hide at the back of his mind resurfaced with the strength of a typhoon. Over the years, Baekhyun learned to forget. He learned how to forget the dirty words his clients whispered to his ears, the feeling of those foreign hands touching every inch of his body, those eyes that saw him as nothing more than a piece of meat, all those mouths crossing every inch of his skin. He learned how to forget, how to pretend nothing ever happened, even when those touches morphed into slaps, those kisses turned into bites and those words became insults.</p><p> </p><p>Forgetting was the only way to sleep at night, to remember how being a real human being felt like.</p><p> </p><p>But right in that moment, everything hit him like a rain of arrows falling from the sky.</p><p> </p><p>He was <em>nothing. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Barely a toy, a jewel, probably the one that shone the most, but nothing more.</p><p> </p><p>He felt empty, <em>used</em>, destroyed, violated. He was disgusted by himself. He wanted to cry, run, tear his skin apart in the attempt of ripping apart all that pain from his insides, but the king was still looking at him, rejoicing at his distress, laughing at his desperation.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“You better come back with that damn treasure in your pretty hands or else your brothers are dead.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>He would come back.</p><p> </p><p>He would come back with the treasure and show Inlumino his worth.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll come back” he said. “I’ll come back with the treasure. I promise.”</p><p> </p><p>Another laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“It’ll be fun to entertain myself with your younger brother, in the meantime. Less experienced, but just as <em>delicious.”</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Suddenly, before Baekhyun could even utter one last word, everything was black.</p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>BOOK II</p><p> <strong><em>The Splendour of the Moon</em></strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When Chanyeol woke up, the sun was already up in the sky and the old parliament of Nyalis slowly appeared in the distance — slightly hiding among the beautiful rows of trees that surrounded it. While the carriage moved, the boy could also see the infinite dunes around him, making the old white building look out of place in the middle of such a wide amount of red sand.</p><p> </p><p><em>Neminem: </em>the land of no-one, Chanyeol remembered.</p><p> </p><p>The place where the seven kings and their councilors used to meet.</p><p> </p><p>Mister Norfyr used to tell him about that place, specially during those times when he liked to recall the years he had spent as a member of the Superior Parliament of Nyalis. The clock ticked fast whenever he got lost in his memories. He told Chanyeol about the beautiful, luminous palace and the way the sun shone through the crystal windows, when all those kings in their precious robes walked down the corridors and the seven emblems moved in unison with the light breeze:</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“A snow fox for Glaciem, </em>
</p><p>
  <em>a turtle for Terrestrium,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>a pegasus for Eurus, </em>
</p><p>
  <em>a wakinyan for Tronitus, </em>
</p><p>
  <em>a dolphin for Aequor,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>a white ermine for Inlumino</em>
</p><p>
  <em>and a dragon for Ignis”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Norfyr used to repeat that frequently, so many times that Chanyeol learnt them all by heart. Legend has it that those sacred animals stood side by side, protecting the world from obscure forces but, when the Great War started, they disappeared into the darkness, leaving the land in absolute despair.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol felt a wave of nostalgia for something he never lived. He wished he could see Nyalis shine in the glory of the old days, back when people from different kingdoms fell in love, when the merchants travelled from reign to reign just to sell their goods, when the air felt purer, when there was a future to dream for. It was unsettling to stare at that old building and imagine how a peaceful Nyalis must have looked, in the time where kingdoms did not send a bunch of young boys on a dangerous quest to win an endless war.</p><p> </p><p>The Gods they all believed in left them to root in a dark, bloody world.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol looked out of the carriage, glancing at all the others behind him, wondering who could be hiding inside. Probably just people like him — lost, desperate boys who had been obliged to leave their home, with their families being held hostage. He wondered if they had slept that night, if fear was also eating them alive, if the images of their scared loved ones haunted them too. He could only see Yunho’s terrorized gaze, full of tears. Those eyes that pleaded Chanyeol to save him. It was even harder when he realized how he had not even been able to use a sword because of how scared he was. He was nothing more than a lost soul who feared death but, he promised. He promised he would return with the treasure.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“We’ll meet each other soon, Chanyeol.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>That voice suddenly echoed inside his head. Chanyeol turned around, trying to look for anyone who could have whispered into his ear but, he was still alone inside the carriage. They stopped moving and he could only see two soldiers in front of the entrance, facing the other side. No one could have uttered a word but then, <em>why </em>did that voice sound so close? Why did he feel someone’s soft breath on his neck? Was <em>he</em> there?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Was he chosen too?</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“Get out” another voice said, a much stronger and commanding one. Chanyeol raised his head, realizing it was one of the soldiers who was now talking to him. “Get out, kid.”</p><p>
  
</p><p>The man grabbed the sleeve of his old and dusty shirt, dragging him out of the carriage. In front of him, he could see a queue of six people —the chosen boys from the other reigns. They looked all the same from behind, some taller while some others looked barely older than a child, except for one. One of them stood out among the others. Chanyeol could not see his face but his white hair hypnotized him. He could see all of them moving nervously, scanning their surroundings, except for that one boy. He did not turn his head. He stood still, unmoving, looking in front of him as if nothing about that place sparked his interest.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Chanyeol.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The voice, again. Whispering at him. Calling for his name. At the same time, he saw the white-haired boy slowly turn around. He suddenly looked confused, out of place. Looking for something or rather,<em> someone</em>.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Chanyeol.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>All of a sudden, it was not just the voice anymore. It was also that same sweet scent he remembered from his dreams. That faint and familiar musky scent that engulfed him. He glanced at the boy again and, he seemed distressed, eyes frantically searching in the crowd, as if someone had just called for him.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol tried to stand on his feet as the group suddenly moved at the soldiers’ command, searching for his eyes, for that desperate contact he suddenly longed for with every fiber of his body and then, like in the most romantic of all fairytales, it finally happened. The boy looked at him, their eyes locked for just a second but it was enough for Chanyeol to feel his soul stared at, suddenly naked of all his clothes, his skin scorching at the slightest contact with the other’s glance. Chanyeol could not even see his traits clearly but he felt <em>something, </em>something catching fire inside his body, burning his flesh from the inside. The boy was staring at him, analyzing his face, his expression. It was a sensation he had never felt before, one he had never thought he would get to know, something strange yet familiar and comforting at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Chanyeol.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Then, just that voice, before they lost each other in the crowd again.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“The quest will take place across the entirety of Nyalis, through every single reign. Starting from Neminem, the place we’re at right now.”</p><p> </p><p>One of the diviners spoke with a loud voice to the group of boys and soldiers, standing on a small platform where everyone could see him despite his short height. Baekhyun could not even listen to him properly because his attention kept going back to the boy with black hair that stood a few feet away from him. What had happened just a few hours before shook him up. That weird sensation he felt, his heart burning from the inside, his flesh crawling, the explosion that kept expanding in the middle of his chest. He had never felt anything like that and he was sure that boy had felt it too. Baekhyun had scanned his eyes, trying to decipher his mind, and he saw them filled with something he could not quite understand. Was it pure fear or was it something completely different?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Baekhyun.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The voice from his dreams started calling as soon as they had reached the parliament and, for some unknown reason, it got even more intense once Baekhyun locked his eyes with those of the boy. He felt as if the he was talking to him, even if his mouth was not moving. The voice seemed to belong to him. For the first time, he heard it outside of his dreams, in the real world. But, who was the guy? Why could not Baekhyun stop looking at him?</p><p> </p><p>“You’re allowed to use every ability you have, may it be regular skills or a <em>gift</em>. There’s no rule, except for the fact that you must complete the quest. The one who gets the treasure first, brings the victory back to his reign. Your destination is the ancient temple of <em>Terminus Mundi</em>, the end of Nyalis, where the final border of our world stands” he said again. “During your journey throughout the seven reigns, you aren’t allowed to interact with any of the inhabitants. Nyalis’ diviners will monitorate you throughout the entire quest and, if we see a civilian helping you, they’ll be immediately arrested and sentenced to death.”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun could see the guy uncomfortably shifting on his feet, even if the way he stood made him look confident in himself. His eyes kept roaming around the enormous room and Baekhyun could clearly feel them on his face as soon as he diverted his gaze. Why was his heart beating so fast?</p><p> </p><p>“No rules means that you’re also allowed to <em>kill.” </em></p><p> </p><p>The entire room gasped and, for the first time that day, the two boys looked away from each other only to stare at the diviner that had just spoken. No one else was uttering a single word in that room, no one was breathing anymore. Only one of the boys did not look fazed. It was someone from Eurus, the land of the wind, judging from the grey colour of his clothes. He stood still, looking uninterested but focused, his stance powerful as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. His aura was regal, almost <em>lethal </em>at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>“If someone hinders your journey, make sure to get rid of him. I want no hesitation. There’s no time for friendship or pity during a war” a pause. “The only thing that matters is the treasure. I don’t care if you have to cut your enemies’ throats while they’re sleeping, just get that treasure and ensure your reign’s victory.”</p><p> </p><p>Those words cut like daggers. They were pronounced steadily, with no hesitation, as if they were nothing more than a children’s tale. The diviner looked at all the boys in the eyes, not even showing the slightest amount of concern for those young lives that could be lost in the fight.</p><p> </p><p>“The quest will start in two days from now. Once you’re out there, you’ll have 60 seconds to prepare yourselves before beginning your journey” he continued. “Tomorrow, a ceremony in honour of the Gods will take place. Professional tailors from your reigns will help you with your clothes and each one of you will represent the land you’re fighting for” he looked at them again, his eyes stone cold. “Guards are already supervising the building. If one of you tries to run away, you’ll be killed immediately. <em>If you want to die, at least try to die like heroes.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>After that, he jumped off the platform and walked away, followed by two of the soldiers, leaving the room in utter silence once again. The guards started to push them with the point of their swords, guiding them with strength towards the corridors of the palace. Baekhyun’s eyes moved around the room, searching for <em>him </em>in the crowd, trying to find his eyes once again. Chanyeol was standing a few feet away from him, his hands behind his back, gaze searching for him too.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Chanyeol.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Baekhyun.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>After that, only silence again.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol found himself awake in the middle of the night.</p><p> </p><p>For the first time, no dreams came to him and the voice did not talk. He felt uneasy, as if something was missing while the last words the figure spoke kept traveling in his mind, repeating themselves and resonating through his memories. It was hard to sleep in such an outmost silence, without the roars of dragons flying outside, the noise of the loud and dark streets of Ignis, the soft snores of his brother coming from the room next to his. Chanyeol felt dazed and lost, abandoned like a dragon born in captivity and suddenly released into the wild.</p><p> </p><p>The room he was in was something he had never seen before in his poor life. Windows higher than three metres, luxurious beds decorated with sheets made of silk, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the beautiful garden staring at him from the outside, with its trees bathing in the moonlight — reflected in the enormous pond in the middle of the small wood. Chanyeol could even see fireflies flying in the darkness of the artificial forest, racing among the trees and flowers, submerging the scenery into a magical sensation.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol leaned his head on the glass of the window, pressing his hand to it, trying to feel the rays of the moon on his skin, but then something caught his eyes. A few flickering lights appeared and disappeared in the darkness and, for a second, Chanyeol thought that his mind was playing with him once again. But then, those lights started to float around the air, appearing from behind the leaves of the trees, almost dancing under the moonlight and then exploding into the night sky.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Chanyeol.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>That voice was whispering in his ears, once again. The boy turned around abruptly, scanning the room to find someone, but it was empty.</p><p> </p><p>“What is happening here?” he whispered to himself.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Chanyeol” </em>as the lights danced one more time, the voice came back, stronger than before.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol ran to the bed, wore his shoes without even bothering to tie the laces and left the room, walking fast through the corridors only to reach that specific place in the garden, where those fluttering lights shone. His steps were loudly resonating in the emptiness of the corridors and the glass door to the garden was slammed behind his back. Chanyeol found himself surrounded by trees, as little fireflies flew all around him and those lights kept dancing in the night sky. He kept looking behind his shoulders, wondering if someone else noticed those lights too, but no one seemed to be aware of what was happening in the garden. The boy moved bushes and branches, crossing the forest towards the middle and then, right in front of the serene pond, someone stood.</p><p> </p><p>It was a figure, dressed in white and, as soon as it turned around, Chanyeol knew.</p><p> </p><p>“Chanyeol.”</p><p> </p><p>It was that same voice but, for the first time, someone was actually speaking. Chanyeol finally met him after years of that boy being only a dream, a shadow hidden in the darkness. He now had a face, a pair of eyes and lips that softly moved while his name was being whispered. Just like in that dream, he was dressed in white, his tunic floating in the wind blowing around them, as the moon rays made him shine like a bright crystal in the night.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol’s heartbeat like never before.</p><p> </p><p>The boy was <em>beautiful</em>, shining in an enchanting grace that did not belong to humans. His face was delicate, alluring, as if sculpted from the finest of all diamonds. His eyes, shaped like almonds, looked vivid even under the faint light of the moon, just like his hair — white in colour, dazzling in the dark, seeming as precious and rare as silver. He was not moving, hypnotized by Chanyeol’s stare while all those tiny lights kept dancing around them, enchanting the entire forest. <em>Something</em> seemed to be coming to life between the two. Perhaps it was fear, but also curiosity, understanding, and maybe, something both of them had never had the chance to feel before.</p><p> </p><p>“Baekhyun.”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun was sure, that was the boy he kept dreaming about. For years, he had spent his nights admiring Inlumino from behind a window while wondering how his face looked like, how his lips moved every time he talked, how his expression changed while smiling, how he walked, moved his hands, how it felt to really touch his skin and now he was in front of him. The boy was tall, so much taller than him, and his stance looked strong despite the uncertainty of his steps. Baekhyun could not help but notice how handsome he was, hugged in his black and red clothes while his deep raven hair was lazily being swept back by the light breeze of the night. The moonlight kissed every trait of his face, making him look like one of the charming heroes appearing in the illustrations of his favourite books.</p><p> </p><p>“How do you—how do you know my name?” the tall one asked, hesitantly.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know” the other replied, realizing how he had whispered that name without even thinking. “How do you know mine, then?”</p><p> </p><p>“I-I don’t know either” he said, his eyes growing bigger, full of wondering thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>“Who are you?” Baekhyun asked, slowly walking towards Chanyeol as the little white lights followed him.</p><p> </p><p>“C-Chanyeol” he said, stuttering due to the close proximity of their bodies. “I’m the chosen one f-from Ignis.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ignis?” Chanyeol’s reply seemed to have caught Baekhyun’s attention, his eyes got bigger too. “The land of dragons?”</p><p> </p><p>“Y-yes” the taller boy wanted to punch himself in the gut for not being able to talk properly, but the alluring way in which the other kept getting closer had practically sent his brain to the afterlife. “A-and you are…”</p><p> </p><p>“Baekhyun” he said firmly. “From Inlumino, the reign of light.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, the past unfolded before their eyes. The dragon Baekhyun kept dreaming of and the fire, that warmth engulfing him, the tall man hiding in the darkness the one who had accompanied him for years. The white ermine that appeared in Chanyeol’s dreams, all the light that mysterious figure bathed in, the ivory of his hair and, the way he had softly whispered his name, as if it was a secret only known between the two. Their lives have always been connected somehow, through dreams they could not control nor comprehend. The way their hearts kept beating fast as soon as they saw each other for the first time, the familiarity of those foreign eyes, the sudden and unexplainable need of being closer, closer and <em>closer.</em></p><p>
  
</p><p>When Baekhyun stopped at only a mere centimetre away from Chanyeol, something else happened.</p><p> </p><p>Their skin started to burn, blazing and aching as if someone just had just stabbed them — digging the point of the dagger between their flesh and bones. Chanyeol quickly held his arm, while Baekhyun kept trying to stop the pain from his back, until the taller of the two tore the sleeve of his black shirt apart.</p><p> </p><p>His tattoo was now glowing in <em>gold</em>.</p><p> </p><p>“Is that…is that an <em>ermine</em>?” Baekhyun whispered out of breath, staring at Chanyeol’s arm.</p><p> </p><p>“Turn around?” Chanyeol softly asked him and, as soon as the other lowered his vest, it was clear.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun’s tattoo was a <em>dragon</em> now shining in gold too.</p><p> </p><p>“A-a dragon?” He said, panting.</p><p> </p><p>“What…what does this mean? Who are you and why do you have Inlumino’s symbol tattooed on your arm?”</p><p> </p><p>“I could ask you the same thing” Chanyeol said, now looking at Baekhyun’s face from up close. He was even more breathtaking like that. “T-the dragon…is Ignis’ symbol, why is it on your back? And ... why are our marks glowing?”</p><p> </p><p>“This…this has to mean something. It can’t be a coincidence” Baekhyun walked away, holding his lips with the back of one of his fingers — his lights still following each of his movements. But then, he neared Chanyeol once again, only to look at him directly in the eyes.</p><p> </p><p> “I’m gonna keep my eyes on you, Chanyeol.”</p><p> </p><p>Just like that, a daring Baekhyun traced the other’s jawline, seductively smirking, just to walk away a second later, followed by his lights, as if nothing had happened between them.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol admired him disappearing in the distance, as his heart beat fast.</p><p> </p><p>But there was something he did not know: Baekhyun’s heart was beating fast too.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun’s chest felt heavy.</p><p> </p><p>The sun was already shining behind the never-ending hills of red sand as they glistened under the warm light. Baekhyun stood in front of the windows, his clothes for the ceremony already lying on the bed behind him, and his head could not stop thinking about the previous night’s encounter. The boy looked at his hand, trying to reconnect with reality as that feeling kept invading his entire body: he could feel it inside his flesh, between his muscles, around his bones, shaking him from the inside. A feeling of familiarity, as if their hearts had already met before, somewhere in between. For a moment, Baekhyun felt like their souls had touched, but it was a familiar touch, one that felt intimate and needed.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun was sure he had never met that boy before — not outside of his dreams at least, but then how did they know each other’s names? What did their tattoos mean? What had happened in the forest the night before?</p><p> </p><p>He punched the glass in front of him, closing his eyes for a second. Baekhyun realized he had a mission to accomplish, one that directly put his own and his brothers’ lives in danger but, the only thing in his mind was that boy’s face. The way moonlight kissed his skin and how the light breeze caressed his hair, as if he had been made to belong to that beautiful and magical scenery that surrounded them. Baekhyun had come into contact with people before, mostly men. They all had touched him everywhere, kissed every corner of his body, made him theirs, but none of their faces had ever been engraved into his mind. He had always forced himself to forget about them, every single nigh, erasing from his memory those looks of lust and need. But the way boy had looked at him had been different and, for the first time in his life, Baekhyun did not want to forget those eyes.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Chanyeol. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>That name had stayed at the tip of of his tongue all night.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Kid, you have fifteen minutes to get ready!” </em>one of the guards screamed from behind the door. <em>“Before I come in and undress you myself.” </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>After that, there were a few laughs, accompanied by several inappropriate jokes and Baekhyun did not even falter. He was used to it. He was used to the feeling of being nothing more than an object.</p><p> </p><p>He moved towards the bed, holding the beautiful white tunic in his hands as he admired the silver trim running all along the upper part, which was also adorned with delicate crystals that reminded him so much of home. The woman who came into his room that morning also brought him a stunning hairpiece, which was now lying in the palm of hands. It was a pin, one made of little diamonds and pearls.</p><p> </p><p><em>Yeosang would love this</em>.</p><p> </p><p>His heart ached and one single tear made his way along the curve of his face, falling on the precious pin.</p><p> </p><p>He quickly got dressed in front of the mirror, a wave of nausea hitting his stomach at the thought of what was about to happen. If the Gods had wished for that quest to happen, then he did not know if he could put his trust on them anymore. Baekhyun felt abandoned, lost and, about to be thrown into a cage full of hungry gryphons, ready to tear his skin apart and eat him alive.</p><p> </p><p><em>Is he scared, too? </em>He wondered, thinking about the way his eyes seemed to be shining in purity. Chanyeol looked unsure, timid, almost clumsy in his steps and he could not help but question his abilities. Did he perhaps have a <em>gift</em>? Would he be able to murder anyone if the occasion arised and it was needed?</p><p> </p><p>As he carefully put the pin in his hair, the guards stormed into his room, taking him away while still laughing. Their hands were rough on his arms and they dragged him all along the corridors of the palace, swords pointed at his back. The walk was short but Baekhyun felt as if he had just ran across the entire surface of the moon, his heart beating fast, the fear of death slowly throttling him like a poisonous snake, ready to end him.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun was determined to show Inlumino that he was worth so much more than what they thought but, at the same time, he was barely more than a child trapped inside something that was way much bigger than him. He knew how to fight, he was <em>gifted</em>. Baekhyun was one of the most powerful sorcerers his reign had ever seen, but inside his body, the heart of a child still hid. His hands were shaking as the enormous doors opened to a place that looked like an amphitheatre, full of diviners from all the seven reigns clapping in unison. Right in that moment, Baekhyun wondered if any of those people actually cared about their lands or if they were just waiting to be entertained by a spectacular carnage, growling and giggling like the demons they were supposed to protect Nyalis from. From his position, the boy could see the others hugged in their colourful clothes, aligned in a semi-circle together with the guards, in front of the royal diviner who had spoken to them the day before.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was there too, dressed in black and red.</p><p> </p><p>His raven hair was pushed back, showing his forehead and a pair of eyes that looked way different from those he had admired just the night before. The kindness was replaced by something else — perhaps determination, courage and will to live. Chanyeol looked like a beautiful statue, his proportions were emphasized by the leather of his black pants and the long, red jacket he was wearing, while his chest was hugged by a shining, golden belt. It was hard to look away, even when the point of the guards’ sword painfully stabbed his back.</p><p> </p><p>“I welcome you to the start of the Great Quest!” he screamed as people cheered. “This is the quest that will determine the end of the war and proclaim only <em>one </em>of the seven lands as the ruling reign of Nyalis!”</p><p> </p><p>His words almost disappeared in the air while Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol, who occasionally glanced his way, trying to not look too obvious. The sudden innocence of that gesture warmed Baekhyun’s heart and he almost let out a little giggle despite the situation.</p><p> </p><p>“These boys are the chosen ones, picked by the Gods themselves who spoke through us, diviners!”</p><p> </p><p>Roaring drums echoed in the arena when the short man in the middle raised his hands, as if trying to reach for the Gods above them all, enjoying the crowd screaming, looking like a hydra thirsty for blood. Suddenly, lights exploded in the amphitheatre, flying rapidly from the ground as they started to dance in the air. Another diviner controlled clear water from a golden bowl, morphing it into a herd of dolphins, while other men grew precious flowers all around them. The thunders in the sky were accompanied by a freezing wind that gently moved thousands of snowflakes into the air and then, the spectacular finale: seven fire circles exploded in the sky like the most beautiful fireworks. Little sparkles slowly fell on the crowd, as if the air was glistening together with rubies descending from the clouds.</p><p> </p><p>For the first time ever since the Great War had started, the seven reigns were finally reunited, on the same ground, under the same sky.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol again and he realized that their reigns were enemies. The light and the fire, the two elements that were supposed to dance in unison, were the ones who started the war. Baekhyun always thought of Ignis as a dark place, filled with those dangerous flying monsters that killed his parents, but Chanyeol looked nothing like the demons that had haunted his nightmares for years.</p><p> </p><p>That day was still vivid in his memories.</p><p> </p><p>He remembered those soldiers riding their majestic dragons. They came out of nowhere, in the darkness of the night, burning down everything they found on their way. The smell of that searing fire and all the ashes that infested the air was something Baekhyun could have never forget: the scorching heath, the stench of destruction, the way his lungs felt like collapsing and, the distant screams of those who were assassinated on the spot, <em>burnt</em> alive. Baekhyun and his brothers saw their parents for the last time that night. That moment was fading, as if his mind was trying to protect him from the pain, as if that page of his memory had burnt together with Inlumino. He could still see his mother’s scared eyes and his father talking to the king, praying on his knees for him to protect his wife and children, before launching himself to fight for his reign. His mother looked at them one last time, smiling as one single tear tore her face in half, and then bravely followed her husband, to <em>die</em> with him.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun covered his brothers’ eyes but, he was the one who had to see his parents dying under the dagger of a soldier.</p><p> </p><p>They fell to the ground and the world seemed to have stopped spinning — blood as red as the fire surrounding them tinted the ground.</p><p> </p><p>For years and years, Baekhyun had felt resentment and anger for the land that had destroyed his reign and his family but, right in that moment, it was hard to hate the boy that looked at him like a human being for the first time. Chanyeol <em>felt </em>different and, even if a part of him wanted to run away from him, the other just felt the need to get closer. But Baekhyun also realized he had a mission to accomplish. He wanted to show the world how powerful he was, he wanted the king to understand that he was worth so much more than what he believed. He was there to save his family and change his destiny, making himself the maker of his own future.</p><p> </p><p>At the other side of the arena, there was someone else feeling in the same way. Chanyeol kept admiring Baekhyun, who brightly shone in the pure glory of his white vest. His waist was cinched by a large belt made out of fabric, that tied into a bow at the back, while the bottom part of the tunic fell flare along his body, revealing a pair of silver pants underneath. Chanyeol was almost enthralled by the way his hair pin reflected the sun and the way those little diamond earrings dangled from his ears, framing his beautiful face. Baekhyun looked like a painting, the most beautiful one he had ever seen, standing with grace and power.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol knew he was supposed to despise him. Inlumino betrayed his own reign, murdering his people out of selfishness and greed. The memory of that day still haunted him like a curse and the image of the hatred in those soldier’s eyes was something he would never forget but…Baekhyun looked nothing like them. Baekhyun, the boy who looked like the moon surrounded by thousands of its stars at night, making him want to get closer and bathe in the light of those dazzling rays.</p><p> </p><p>“I welcome you all to the Great Quest! May the Gods guide us towards the victory!”</p><p> </p><p>The roar the crowd made was defeating and, as soon as Chanyeol glanced at the others, he realized that he was not the only one fearing for his life. Those people did not care about the war, nor about their reigns or the glory. They wanted a show, one tinted with the blood of seven young kids. Chanyeol did not know if that was really what the Gods wanted, but the almost satanic laughter of the crowd reverberating through his every bone only sounded like the umpteenth demonstration the madness of mankind.</p><p> </p><p>Drums were replaced by the sound of the arena clapping in unison. Soldiers pushed them with their swords again, making all the boys move. They walked around the whole structure as the crowd still cheered, before being thrown into an enormous room at the center of the palace. Chanyeol almost fell to the floor when the guard pushed his body forward.</p><p> </p><p>“Enjoy the meal, kids” one of the guards said. “It could be your last” and then he left, laughing together with the rest of the soldiers as they slammed the door behind them.</p><p> </p><p>“What are we?! Animals?!” a boy all dressed in purple and black from head to toe spoke up, screaming at the guards. “Tsk, bastards!”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol turned around and noticed that all of them were there, locked in an enormous room filled with the pleasant scent of food coming from a vast buffet. Baekhyun sat near the window, on a velvety green couch, only grabbing a glass of champagne from the table and elegantly moving it between his delicate fingers, staring at the outside.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey there, mate!”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol looked at the boy who just spoke, diverting his eyes from Baekhyun for the first time that day. The guy next to him was holding a plate full of food and Chanyeol had to lower his eyes because of how much shorter he was. His lips curved slightly at the edges, making him look like a sprite with a mop of curly hair on the top of his head. He was the same one that had screamed to the guards, still hugged in his reflective black and purple clothes, that looked way too uncomfortable in Chanyeol’s opinion.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a pleasure to meet you, big boy! I’m Jongdae, from Tronitus” he said again as his lips curved even more and his eyes turned into the shape of a crescent moon. Chanyeol also could not help but notice how some bread crumbs were stuck on his muzzle.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh” he said, taken aback for a second. “I’m Chanyeol, from Ignis.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I already know that, giant oaf” Jongdae exclaimed, now munching on a piece of cake. “I already know about everyone here. I could probably even tell you about the color of that guy’s underwear.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was confused by the boy. Jongdae was blunt, way too comfy in his presence already and probably had no clue about what having good manners meant. He looked completely at ease, scanning the crowd with that elfish smile of his, but somehow his eyes betrayed a hint of cleverness and slyness.</p><p> </p><p>“How do you know?” he asked, grabbing a croissant that the guy was now offering him.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, guards are way too easy to manipulate. You trick them with some funny jokes and the promise of showing them a piece of Tronitus’ technology and they will sing like little nightingales” a giggle. “I gave them a random bolt I found in my pocket in exchange for information. They’re still convinced that’s some futuristic object, I bet they’ve been trying to figure out how to use that since then.”</p><p> </p><p>He ate another piece of cake before speaking again, smearing chocolate all over his lips.</p><p> </p><p>“That guy, for example. He’s Kim Junmyeon, from Aequor. I heard he can talk to all sorts of marine creatures. He could probably turn a gigantic Hafgufa against you, I definitely wouldn’t want to get too close to him if there’s water around” he said, looking at the boy who was eating a pastry not too far away from them. He was dressed in blue clothes, with an almost transparent tulle shirt and pearl earrings dangling from his ears. “And the other one next to him? That’s Do Kyungsoo, from Terrestrium, one damn talented brewer. The guard told me he’s an expert in venoms, mate. He could kill you in your sleep and you wouldn’t even realize.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyungsoo was standing in front of the window, not eating anything but only sipping water from a glass. He was wearing brown pants and a long, green jacket adorned with flowers, pinched at the waist with a belt.</p><p> </p><p>“That dude with grey hair who looks like a cat, right there. He’s Kim Minseok, directly from Glaciem. Glaciem people, man. Those bastards can survive in the most extreme conditions and they’re way too good with their weapons. Wouldn’t want my neck near his sword, to be honest” Minseok looked feline. Cold eyes, a white and sky blue armor shining under the sun coming from the window. Definitely someone he didn’t want to get too close to. “And the scariest of the bunch, Oh Sehun from Eurus. His eyes make me want to piss my pants, mate. He’s the king of his reign and the most talented fighter out there plus, I’m convinced he isn’t human. He looks like a machine programmed to assassinate everyone who dares to look at him in the face.”</p><p> </p><p>Sehun looked different from everyone else in that room. His eyes were sharper, almost evil, way too concentrated on his surroundings — he was studying them, probably thinking about the plan that would lead him to victory. He was standing alone, near the doors, drinking wine from a chalice but his eyes never left his foes, moving from one to the other. He kept tapping one of his fingers to the cup, as if he was trying to scan the time and count down every second that passed.</p><p> </p><p>“He honestly scares me. I feel like he’s planning at least twenty different methods to cut my throat” Chanyeol said, still eating his bread.</p><p> </p><p>“My skin crawls when I look at him in the eyes, man” Jongdae said. “The only one who seems harmless is the one sitting there, Byun Baekhyun, from Inlumino.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol choked on the water he was drinking, spitting some of it on the floor and gaining the judging look of everyone else in the room, except for Baekhyun. He never diverted his eyes from the window, still sipping on his champagne.</p><p> </p><p>“He isn’t harmless at all” he said.</p><p> </p><p>“Tsk, have you seen him? He looks like he would cry if the wind messed up his pretty hair. Beautiful face and beautiful body but, nothing more than that. I would be surprised if he doesn’t die as soon as we step out of this desert” Jongdae exclaimed, giggling in the meantime. “People say he’s a <em>concubine.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>For a second, Chanyeol thought that his heart had stopped beating.</p><p> </p><p>“W-what do you mean?”</p><p> </p><p>“A concubine, Chanyeol” Jongdae said again. “A prostitute, a hustler, a <em>slut.” </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>It was a kick right in the stomach, a punch straight to his face, a knife stabbing his back. Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun, still sitting as the sun touched his face with the most delicate of all caresses, grazing his skin as if it was made of crystals. He looked so angelic, bathing in the dazzling sunlight, and Chanyeol could not help but observe the way his slender fingers touched the glass.</p><p> </p><p>The thought of other people touching Baekhyun stirred something deep inside him, a feeling he was not used to, a sensation so unknown that seemed almost wrong. The idea of unknown men and women using his body, scratching his skin, violating his being and tearing his soul apart started to haunt him. Chanyeol wondered if it was his choice. He wanted to scream, to ask him <em>why</em>, to know if someone had ever hurt him or, if he was already <em>broken </em>inside. Chanyeol wanted to tear his heart away from his chest and destroy it in million pieces, praying for it to stop hurting so bad for someone he barely knew. But there was something about Baekhyun, something that made him feel things he had never felt before, sensations that came from the deepest part of his soul for reasons that were unknown to him.</p><p> </p><p>“What is a concubine even doing here? Do the Gods want Inlumino to lose that bad?”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol noticed the way the guards had stared at him back in the arena, and he knew Baekhyun was aware too. They stared at him as if he were a piece of meat, waiting for the right moment to devour him whole. But what Chanyeol kept wondering was why Baekhyun seemed to ignore them, it was like those prying eyes did not even bother him, as if he could not feel them on his skin anymore.</p><p> </p><p>But then, Chanyeol realized that Baekhyun was probably just used to it.</p><p> </p><p>He was used to people considering him nothing more than a prey.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s so much more than that” Chanyeol said, eyes severe on Jongdae. “He can control light so well that he seems to be made of it. He has a <em>gift, </em>Jongdae. Something you, me and everyone else in this room can only dream of owning.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol noticed something changing in Jongdae’s expression.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Him</em>? A concubine with a gift—ˮ</p><p> </p><p>But Jongdae never finished his sentence because, suddenly, a dozen knifes were floating in the air, aiming at his neck. The entire room went silent and Chanyeol was not sure if there was at least one of them still breathing. They were all staring at those little drops of sweat running down Jongdae’s face. There was only one person who did not look fazed, someone who was still sitting on his couch, admiring the scenery outside of the windows while enjoying the last ounce of champagne.</p><p> </p><p>“I heard you, Kim Jongdae” Baekhyun said while rising from the armchair, fixing his clothes and slowly — almost seductively — walking toward the two of them. “Yes, I’m a <em>slut. </em>But one that knows magic and the art of morphing light.”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun was standing with pride and power, moving slowly while sun rays surrounded him, making him look like a creature that had descended from somewhere way above the clouds, beyond the sky itself. Chanyeol stared at him, enchanted by the way his body seemed to be made of that same light he controlled.</p><p> </p><p>“Beware of the light once you’re out there, Jongdae.”</p><p> </p><p>With a movement of his fingers, Baekhyun made all the knives fall to the floor and walked towards the door, leaving the room in an outmost silence. Everyone was looking at him but, for the first time, they stared at him out of admiration and fear.</p><p> </p><p><em>Show them, </em>Chanyeol thought.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Show them what you are made of. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>BOOK III</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>The Eclipse of Light and Fire</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    
  </strong>
</p><p>The desert.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun opened his eyes and, as soon as his vision cleared, he realized he was in the middle of the desert. In front of him, only dunes and dunes of red sand and the blue sky above. Baekhyun turned around, trying to look for something, for <em>someone</em>, but he had been completely left alone together with a bag at his feet. He touched his body, feeling the fabric of what he was wearing and he was sure that those were not the clothes he had put on before going to sleep. The sound of the wind reverberating through that endless void was driving him insane, making his flesh shiver in fear and despair.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>What is happening? </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>And then, among the silence, a voice arose.</p><p> </p><p><em>“I welcome you to the start of the Great Quest” </em>the voice said.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun froze.</p><p> </p><p>He suddenly remembered the noise he heard the night before, those voices coming nearer from the corridor outside of his door, the movements he sensed near his bed, the profile of that face he saw in the darkness and the way he instantly fell asleep. An enchantment. The diviners had enchanted and kidnapped them, only to leave them in the middle of the desert and make sure that none knew the way back to the palace in Neminem.</p><p> </p><p>A sound resonated in the desert.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, another one.</p><p> </p><p>Then, one more.</p><p> </p><p>It was the sound of drums counting down the seconds, scanning the time. <em>Sixty seconds, </em>Baekhyun remembered. Sixty seconds before the quest started, sixty seconds before the start of a mission that could cost them their own life, sixty seconds before their destiny unrevealed right in front of their eyes. Just sixty seconds before being left with only two choices: to <em>live</em> or to <em>die</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun wondered how determined the others were, how much they wanted to win that fight, how much they cared about the glory of their reigns. Baekhyun asked himself if they were scared, if the will to reach the victory was stronger than the fear of death, if they had enough courage and greed to <em>kill. </em>How strong were they? What were their abilities? Were they gifted? Were they not? Baekhyun did not know and the thought of facing the uncertainty of that situation terrified him more than anything else. He knew he was strong, he knew he could bend light to his will, he knew his powers were enough to win that race but would he be able to <em>kill, </em>to write the final dot on the book of someone else’s life?</p><p> </p><p>Another beat.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun already counted thirty of them.</p><p> </p><p>In that short amount of time, he realized he could not move his feet. Something was keeping him stuck in the sandy ground, another enchantment, perhaps.</p><p> </p><p>The fortieth sound, the fortieth second. Only twenty more left.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun thought about his life before that moment. He thought about his parents, wondering if they were looking at him from that blue sky that seemed to be endless. He thought about his brothers, praying for them to be safe, promising them to come back. Then, he thought about Chanyeol. Where was he? Was he hidden somewhere within those red dunes? Was he scared? Was he counting down the seconds? Did his heart also sink deeper at every beat of those drums?</p><p> </p><p>A beat.</p><p> </p><p>A beat, again.</p><p> </p><p>Ten left.</p><p> </p><p>He grabbed the bag at his feet and slid it across his body, closing his eyes a second after, savoring those last seconds of peace.</p><p> </p><p>Three.</p><p> </p><p>Two.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“May the Gods lead you through this journey towards the victory.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>One.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“For Nyalis!” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Baekhyun ran. He ran faster than ever before, sprinting across the desert without even knowing where his feet were leading him. He looked around him and then behind, trying to sense the smallest movement among the dunes, but no one seemed to be there. Baekhyun was starting to wonder where they took the other boys and if they were even in that same desert. The adrenaline was rushing through his every vein, mixing with fear, terror and the will to show the world what he could do. For Inlumino, for Nyalis…he did not care. He was doing it for <em>himself, </em>for his family, for all those people that lost their lives due to that meaningless war.</p><p> </p><p>As he ran, Baekhyun could see a big amount of trees slowly appearing at the horizon, almost looking like a mirage under the hot sun. The<em> Aurea Forest, </em>Baekhyun thought. He remembered that seeing that wood on one of the maps he studied at the palace out of boredom, who would have thought his studies would have resulted useful someday. Baekhyun reached the group of trees but, as soon as his feet touched the grass, a desperate voice called for his name.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Baekhyun. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“Chanyeol?” He whispered, turning his head around a few times, looking for him behind the trees and bushes.</p><p> </p><p><em>Baekhyun</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was talking to his mind and his voice kept reverberating in his head. It was different from those other times, because his voice sounded alarmed. Chanyeol was talking as if he was in danger, with a flebile voice, one infused with fear. Baekhyun kept wondering why his feet started running on their own, before his brain could even process that command. He was running, looking for Chanyeol, trying to talk to him through his mind.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun did not even know him but something kept telling him to go, to just run and look for the other.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>He’s so much more than that.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>It was hard to forget those words. Baekhyun listened to his conversation with Jongdae thanks to his magical abilities, but he would have never imagined to hear such words from him. Chanyeol thought he mattered. He thought his life was meaningful, that he deserved to live a destiny that was different from the one someone else had decided for him. Those were the words Baekhyun kept repeating to himself but, why did they sound so different when it was Chanyeol pronouncing them? Why did his heart feel like bursting?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Baekhyun.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>And it was that same voice that called for him again and again, as he ran through that forest until his lungs threatened to explode in that exact moment. He had to find him. He had to find Chanyeol no matter what his mind kept telling him, no matter what the history of their reigns said. His heart was guiding him through those endless rows of trees and, for the first time in his life, Baekhyun completely surrendered to it.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Baekhyun!</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol’s voice sounded closer until he noticed someone on the ground, lying with his back against a tree.</p><p> </p><p>"Chanyeol!" Baekhyun exclaimed, jumping over a bush to reach for him. "Chanyeol what happened to you?!"</p><p> </p><p>"Y-you heard me?" He said with a voice full of pain and, as soon as Baekhyun crouched down next to him, he noticed that Chanyeol’s leg was cut open, with blood that kept leaking out.</p><p> </p><p>"I always hear you, Chanyeol" Baekhyun confessed absentmindedly, tearing apart one of the sleeves of his shirt and pressing the fabric on wound. "How did you even hurt yourself? The quest started not even an hour ago and you’re hurt already."</p><p> </p><p>"I-I woke up in the middle of the desert and I kept running with no destination, until I saw this forest. As soon as I stepped inside, s-someone threw a dagger at me...I was lucky enough for it to only hit my leg. I h-have no idea who it was, he was way too fast" then, a pained moan followed. "Are you — are you okay?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes. Yes I’m okay."</p><p> </p><p>"I’m glad" Chanyeol was smiling, looking at Baekhyun with fondness. The other looked at him in the eyes for a brief moment and felt like he could read something in them. It was fear, pain, but also relief. "I was... I was trying to call for you b-because...I was scared that fucker had hurt you too."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun’s heart jumped once, twice, thrice and again for a million times, beating directly in his throat. He conceded himself a few seconds to admire Chanyeol’s face, noticing the way sunlight shone on his cheeks through the leaves of the trees and how his black hair looked now messy and unkept, framing his traits beautifully as a few strands fell on his forehead.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Why do I want to kiss him right now? </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Wait, what? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"We-we need to cure this wound, Chanyeol, or else you won’t be able to continue the quest. The dagger penetrated way too deep into your skin, I’m afraid it compromised your muscles" Baekhyun tried to stop thinking about those inappropriate and completely wrong scenarios, distracting his mind with something else. "Can you walk?"</p><p> </p><p>"I can try, but I’m not too sure about that" he replied, wincing in pain once again. "I tried looking for some kind of medicine in that damn bag but those bastards only gave us some water, a blanket and useless weapons. They really want us to die, don’t they?"</p><p> </p><p>"No medicine would cure this wound as fast as we need it to. We have to use magic" Baekhyun said, tearing apart his other sleeve and pressing it to Chanyeol’s leg again, tying it up around his calf.</p><p> </p><p>"Isn’t-isn’t medical magic a really advanced one?" Chanyeol said, his eyes becoming bigger. "It needs enchanted herbs—"</p><p> </p><p>"Well, you’re lucky enough to have someone like me to help you, then" Baekhyun replied, smiling at him. "I know how to use medical magic since I was a kid."</p><p> </p><p>"Wow" Chanyeol sighed, his traits shining in a dreamy expression. "You’re amazing."</p><p> </p><p><em>Please stop looking at me like that</em>, Baekhyun thought.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>You’re making me feel things I’m not supposed to feel.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>"A-anyway" Baekhyun muttered, pretending to not notice the way Chanyeol’s eyes still lingered on him. "We’re in Aurea Forest right now. If we walk across, we will find the first reign, Terrestrium. I’m positive we can find some herbs there."</p><p> </p><p>"Can I ask you just one thing?"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun nodded.</p><p> </p><p>"Why are you helping me?" Chanyeol said, briefly touching his hand. "We’re supposed to be enemies, you know? Not only during this quest, but our reigns are the ones that started the war... plus, I’ll only be a burden to you, I can’t even walk. You’re risking your life just to help me. Why are you doing this?"</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I don’t know. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>It’s what my heart keeps telling me to do. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Because I know you’d do the same thing for me, Chanyeol" he said instead. "I could hear you and Jongdae talking yesterday. No one ever said those words about me.”</p><p> </p><p>He stopped for a second, locking his eyes with Chanyeol’s.</p><p> </p><p>"People...people always treated me like a toy. I-I always lived my life like a soulless doll. They kept repeating me how I was only good for my body, how I was nothing more than a pretty ornament to be looked at and used until it was broken. No one ever believed in me and my abilities, so I kept on studying and perfecting my magic until it was stronger than any diviners’...but, somehow, it was never enough." a single pause. "You’re the first person after my brothers that thinks I’m more than that. So I’m thankful."</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>It’s also how you never even tried to lay a single finger on my body, those smiles you gift me with, the way you look at me like I hold the entire starry night in my hands. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>But Baekhyun kept those words only to himself.</p><p> </p><p>“B-but you are more than that, Baekhyun. You’re a sorcerer, someone who learned how to use medical magic since he was a child, probably the only one among all of us who knows Nyalis’ map by heart. You can even bend light to your will, you’re <em>gifted</em>” Chanyeol said, his eyes focused on him. “A-and even if you weren’t…some sort of god of magic, you’d still be more than that. Humans are more than just bodies. They’re complex, they have emotions, feelings, sensations, thoughts, they have a <em>soul…</em>and you’re <em>human, </em>Baekhyun. You—you aren’t a toy, nor an ornament or a doll. You’re <em>human.” </em></p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun’s mind was in the middle of a storm, while his heart was trapped in the eye of the typhoon.</p><p> </p><p>He just kept staring at Chanyeol, who was looking at him with a serene smile plastered on his face. That gentle gaze, the gaze of someone who saw a <em>person</em> in him, the gaze of someone who was able to look past his body and feel a heart beating under his bones, who perceived his <em>soul </em>like no one ever did before. Chanyeol thought he mattered, he thought he deserved to <em>live</em>, to live for real. He thought he deserved to run under the moon of Inlumino’s summer nights, to dance under the rain, to be free from the prison he was forced to be enslaved in since the day he was born. He thought Baekhyun deserved to forget, to feel, to <em>love, </em>because he was <em>human. </em>Baekhyun smiled, his lips curving in happiness as those words were being engraved on his mind for the rest of his life.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, Chanyeol” he said, smiling even wider. “We should leave now. That guy could still be hiding somewhere and I’m pretty sure his intentions aren’t peaceful.”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun stood up after securing Chanyeol’s bandages, trying to hold the other from his sides, putting the taller’s arm around his shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>“W—what are you doing?” Chanyeol stuttered for a second.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m trying to help you, dumbass” Baekhyun said, giggling at Chanyeol’s blushed ears. “I may look weak, but I’m strong enough to help you walk to Terrestrium. It’s not too far away from here, we just have to proceed towards the North of the forest.”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun managed to make Chanyeol stand up after a few attempts, throwing his bag on his back after that. His heart warmed up at the sight of such a flustered Chanyeol, who kept staring at his feet as they walked, his ears still red from embarrassment. The same Chanyeol who sounded so confident with his words and compliments just a few minutes before had been substituted by a blushing mess.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol, for his part, was literally dying inside. His organs felt in turmoil as the warmth of Baekhyun’s skin against his spread all over his body. He could feel Baekhyun’s breath on his neck, his lips being so close to his flesh, and he could not even perceive the pain on his leg anymore. Baekhyun looked even more breathtaking from so up close. Chanyeol noticed how his skin was adorned by a few moles that ran all over his face and towards his neck, or how long his lashes were, making his eyes look even more delicate.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol tried to glance at him from time to time, only to admire him a little bit more, to notice a few more details about his face. Baekhyun was focused on the road, keeping him on his feet, helping him walk around the forest, warning him at every small obstacle they encountered. He looked confident, concentrated and strong. Chanyeol realized that he reminded him of those heroes Mr Norfyr used to tell him about and he wondered if Baekhyun would be the chosen one to save Nyalis from its despair.</p><p> </p><p>"We’re almost there, Chanyeol" he whispered. "You can do it."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol realized that Baekhyun could hear his pained moans whenever his bleeding leg touched the ground. He kept trying to comfort him, gently caressing his lower back to sprone him to keep going. Chanyeol felt cared for, he sensed that pleasurable warmth heating up his heart and insides.</p><p> </p><p>Without even realizing, Chanyeol snuggled closer to his side, needing to feel more of that warmth.</p><p> </p><p>"We’re here" Baekhyun said after a while. "Welcome to Terrestrium.”</p><p> </p><p>Terrestrium was completely built in the middle of an enchanted forest. The trees looked enormous, standing tall among the bushes and flowers, almost touching the clouds moving in the blue sky. Around them, little pixies kept flying, playing around, resplendent in their beautiful colors as they shone like little stars fallen on earth. The scenery looked surreal. The deep wood was filled with flowers and mushrooms as taller than the two boys were scattered around.</p><p> </p><p>"Let’s go, I want to show you something" Baekhyun said, smiling, but without looking at Chanyeol.</p><p> </p><p>The two proceeded for a few more metres, making their way through the long, flowery lianas they found on the gravelled road and then, out of nowhere, one of the most beautiful views appeared in front of them.</p><p> </p><p>They were standing on a high cliff that enabled them to admire the outmost beauty of Terrestrium as a whole. A sumptuous palace stood in the middle of the forest, right behind the cliff, and branches of marvelous flowers grew on its surface, almost hiding it from their eyes if it was not for the blue lights that illuminated the whole scenery.</p><p> </p><p>"I’ve always read about this place in my books" Baekhyun confessed, enchanted by the view in front of them. "Since I was a child, I loved reading about all the other reigns and imagine how they would look like, dreaming of the day when I would finally be able to see them in real life."</p><p> </p><p>"You never left Inlumino?" Chanyeol asked and Baekhyun shook his head.</p><p> </p><p>"They always prohibited me to leave the palace" he replied, almost absentmindedly, letting Chanyeol go and dropping his bag to the ground. "I always had to sneak out during the night to see Inlumino.”</p><p> </p><p>“I never left Ignis either” he said but looking at Baekhyun instead of the scenery. “Me and my brother didn’t have enough money to do that.”</p><p> </p><p>“And your parents?” Baekhyun asked while slowly but delicately removing Chanyeol’s bandages only to soak them with the water they had provided them with. The wound was not bleeding anymore but the cut looked deep and it would become a problem if the infection kept spreading.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol diverted his eyes from Baekhyun as his heart felt heavier all of a sudden.</p><p> </p><p>“They’re dead” Chanyeol shifted uncomfortably, realizing Baekhyun had stopped working with the improvised gauze. “But, the truth is that…I’ve been dead to them ever since the day I was born.”</p><p> </p><p>He never told his story to anyone else.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol liked to keep it at the bottom of his heart, hidden behind pages and pages of his memory, hoping for it to be completely erased and exchanged with beautiful thoughts instead. Baekhyun, though, was looking at him as if he was ready to listen. His eyes did not show any pity, but they were understanding, kind, asking him to keep talking. Reopening that wound was the hardest thing Chanyeol had ever done. Those memories were cutting deeper into his skin, making him and his heart bleed, but Baekhyun was there, caressing his healthy leg, looking at him in such a loving way and Chanyeol could not help but continue retelling the story that had haunted him from the very beginning.</p><p> </p><p>“I was the only person in Ignis that was born with a tattoo that wasn’t a dragon” he said. “You know, Ignis people like to boast about their marks, dragons had always been our pride…but, somehow, I was different. Different from everyone else.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was not looking at him but he could sense Baekhyun sitting on the ground next to him, his hand still lying on his leg.</p><p> </p><p>“I hated myself but…my parents hated me even more. They called me <em>mistake, disgrace, betrayer. </em>For my entire life, they never called me Chanyeol. It’s honestly a miracle they even let me have one name” one tear left his eye. “Usually, parents teach their kids the art of breeding dragons. It’s something that gets handed down from generation to generation, but my dad thought I wasn’t worthy enough. Me? The kid with the ermine tattoo? The only person who was born with the mark that belonged to Ignis’ enemies? He was convinced I didn’t deserve that knowledge. He never even let me come close to the dragons he kept in his stable.”</p><p> </p><p>The disgusted gaze of his father was something that never left his mind, no matter how hard he tried to sink that memory in the deepest waters of his brain, it would always resurface.</p><p> </p><p>“What hurt me the most at that time was that I was in love with dragons. The way you studied magic to be acknowledged was the same thing I tried to do. I knew everything there was to know about dragons, I even read books that were way too difficult for a child, but I managed to learn every single thing. I wanted to show my father that I was capable enough, that I was worthy, that I deserved to take care of his dragons…but no matter what I did, he would always tell me that dragons were noble and pure creatures, while I was just a <em>sin”</em> he continued. “But then…my brother was born and I finally got to understand what <em>love </em>felt like.”</p><p> </p><p>The sky above them was turning red, tinting the clouds with soft nuances of oranges and yellows, contrasting with the blue lights of Terrestrium like in the most beautiful of all paintings.</p><p> </p><p>"Yunho was the first person that treated me like a human being. I didn’t have to hide from him, there was no need to. He didn’t see me as a mistake. He didn’t mind that my mark was different from his and everyone else’s, because he loved me the way I was" he said, thinking about his brother again, imagining him smiling when he woke up in the morning, ready to prepare breakfast for the both of them. "He saw me as his hero and every night I would go out into the streets to find treasures for him. They were just stones or seashells, but whenever I sneaked into his room and gave those to him...he looked at me as if I had just brought him the moon."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol could not help but softly giggle at the image that was shining in his dreams like a little star in the night sky. He turned around, looking at Baekhyun, and noticed that he was smiling too, staring at him with his head slightly tilted on the side.</p><p> </p><p>"You know, since my father always refused to teach me how to breed dragons, I used to sneak out at night just to go to that old shop in one of the smallest streets of Ignis, where an old man called Mr Norfyr took me under his protective wing. Whenever I came back with more knowledge, I would secretly go to his room and tell him everything I learnt. His eyes shone so brightly during those moments" another serene smile. "My parents always prohibited him to spend time with me, but that one was the only order he never followed."</p><p> </p><p>But then, one tear fell.</p><p> </p><p>"But then...then they died" he said, diverting his eyes from Baekhyun once again. "During that last moment before death took them...my father called me by my name for the first time in my life. He looked at me in the eyes, asking me to protect Yunho, but there was something different in them. For the first time, he wasn’t looking at me with disgust, but resentment."</p><p> </p><p>At that, Baekhyun moved closer, sitting right in front of Chanyeol’s face, staring at him in the eyes, forcing him to return that gaze.</p><p> </p><p>"You aren’t a sin, Chanyeol" he said, holding his chin with one hand. "You aren’t a sin, or a mistake, a disgrace. You’re you, you’re <em>Chanyeo</em>l"</p><p> </p><p>His name.</p><p> </p><p>Oh, how sweet it sounded when it was Baekhyun pronouncing it.</p><p> </p><p>He was looking at him with those kind eyes, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as he held his hand and kept pronouncing those healing words. Chanyeol had always hated himself. For years and years, the thought of disappearing was his closest companion, almost like an imaginary friend that kept visiting him as soon as the sun went down. But right in that moment, as Baekhyun stared at him, he was glad he never made that choice.</p><p> </p><p>"I think we should take care of that wound now" Baekhyun said again, drying that one tear that was running down Chanyeol’s face with his free hand. The other just nodded.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun stood up, looking around and trying to find the particular medical herb he needed. The Aglaophotis, Baekhyun thought, looking for the plant. Long stem, small leaves, red in colour. He was concentrated, trying to find the plant he needed and, he did not have to search much longer because, thanks to the enchanted forest, a group of them grew not too far from the cliff. He picked a few, coming back to Chanyeol just a few minutes later. Crouching down on his legs, he proceeded to separate the head from the stem, lying the red petals on his wound.</p><p> </p><p>"It’s gonna hurt a bit, so take my hand and hold it as strong as you can if you need to, okay?"</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol nodded and intertwined his fingers with Baekhyun’s. As soon as the boy gently touched his wound, Chanyeol felt an excruciating pain engulfing him, as if someone was trying to tear his skin apart. There was a light coming from the place the wound was located. Baekhyun was concentrated, morphing that light to cure the wound.</p><p> </p><p>"We’re almost done, Chanyeol, be strong."</p><p> </p><p>But everything that left Chanyeol’s mouth was nothing more than a bunch of pained moans while he kept on holding the other’s hand as strong as he could. All of a sudden, the light started to fade and Baekhyun removed his hands, smiling brightly at him.</p><p> </p><p>"Look" he said.</p><p> </p><p>The leg was completely healed and clean. No cut, no blood, no scar.</p><p> </p><p>"How — how did you even do that?" Chanyeol touched his own leg, moving it around only to verify that the pain had completely disappeared. "Someone just threw a freaking dagger at me and you cured it in a few seconds! I knew medical magic existed but this is way more advanced than what I imagined!"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun giggled at Chanyeol’s excitement. He looked like a kid who had just seen the world for the first time.</p><p> </p><p>"Let’s say it’s a special type of medical magic. It’s not that much known around Nyalis, it’s still experimental" he sat down next to Chanyeol, their shoulders slightly touching as they directed their stares towards the setting sun beyond the cliff. "I have two brothers too. A younger and an older one, who is a doctor...well, actually, calling him just doctor is way too reductive."</p><p> </p><p>The sun was slowly setting down in front of them, leaving its place in the sky to a rising moon. Baekhyun did not know why, but he felt like holding Chanyeol’s hand again — for the second time that day, he followed what his heart told him to do.</p><p> </p><p>"<em>Yixing</em>" he said, thinking about his brother. Dressed in his white robes, smiling at him with those gentle eyes. "Yixing is ten years older than me and he’s a sorcerer too. Once the war started, he decided to use his magic in a different way and understood that light could be morphed together with healing magic, making it stronger and more effective" Chanyeol’s hand in his felt warm and even more intimate when the other intertwined their fingers once again. "He’s the strongest sorcerer I’ve ever met. I don’t know how, but even without Inlumino’s gift, he learnt how to generate light from his magic. Maybe, thanks to his actual gift, which made him stronger."</p><p> </p><p>"His actual gift? What do you mean?"</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun smiled. "Yixing was born here, in Terrestrium."</p><p>
  
</p><p>He still remembered the day Yixing arrived. He looked way too thin and malnourished, with fresh blood leaking from the wounds he had scattered all over his body. Yixing refused to let anyone come close, except for Baekhyun — maybe because he was the only kid in that palace, or maybe because he approached him with a serene smile on his face, trying to clean his cuts with the outmost care.</p><p> </p><p>"My father was one of the royal diviners of Inlumino and back then, during the war, he used to fight together with our army" Baekhyun continued. "One day, during an attack to Terrestrium, he found a boy, hiding behind one of these enormous mushrooms. He was completely alone and covered in blood after he had run away from the orphanage he lived in. Despite the war, my father had always been a man with a heart of gold, so he decided to take that boy with him. Yixing told us how he hid him from the other soldiers, in his carriage, under a blanket he found somewhere. No one suspected anything or, maybe, none of them actually had the guts to kill a child.”</p><p> </p><p>It was hard to forget how fast Yixing became a part of their family, as if it had always been the only thing he waited for. The gentle caresses of his mother, the playful pats on the back by his father, the hugs Baekhyun gave him whenever he was distracted, the little kisses Yeosang kept smacking on his cheeks. Yixing’s face was finally glowing, bathing in the pure happiness love gave him.</p><p> </p><p>"Me and my little brother, Yeosang, would always mess with him, pulling pranks on him every single time he tried to study but, somehow, it felt as if he was always only grateful, as if even those dumb kids’ games made him happy" Chanyeol was slowly and almost insecurely caressing the back of his hand with one finger. "Yixing always wanted to be a doctor. He said he wanted to repay Inlumino for saving him...and he actually managed to. He joined the royal doctors at the age oft twenty, developing his own magic, his <em>gift</em> from Terrestrium, and managing to dominate light too. It was as if being a part of our family had always been written in his future, as if a part of him actually belonged to Inlumino."</p><p> </p><p>"Was he the one who...taught you the art of medical magic?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah. Since I was a child I had always wanted to be a little bit more like him. I wanted to be as powerful, as gentle, as kind, as talented, as intelligent...and he always believed in me. He and Yeosang were the only ones who did" Baekhyun did not talk for a few seconds as bitter memories invaded his mind. "My parents...my parents never believed in my abilities. They said I was just lucky enough to have a gift, but they were so sure I would never be able to control it. My mom...she was a concubine too and she said I was destined to follow her path. I wanted to show them they were wrong, that everyone around me was wrong, but...they died before I could do it.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure they know, somehow” Chanyeol said, smiling down at him and tightening the hold on his hand.</p><p> </p><p>It felt weird.</p><p> </p><p>It felt weird to be so physically close to someone, with only their hands touching and, despite that, feeling such an intimacy in those soft stares and glances, in the warmth of someone’s hold. It felt even weirder, perhaps <em>wrong, </em>when Baekhyun realized the situation they were in and the fact that they were supposed to be enemies, to despise each other, to kill one another without hesitation. But it felt too <em>right </em>to be there, sitting together with their shoulders touching as warm smiles were being exchanged with the sun going down in the background.</p><p> </p><p><em>Right, </em>Baekhyun thought.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Being with you feels right. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>“</em>W-what’s that?” Chanyeol said, letting his hand go to indicate a specific spot in front of them.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>It can’t be. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>In front of them, right before the cliff, something was blooming. It was growing fast, emanating a white light and becoming taller, until a small bud appeared and opened up, revealing five petals of the shape of an almond, yellow in colour and right in the middle, a red pearl hid.</p><p> </p><p>“How did—how did that thing grow that fast?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>A single Fern Flower.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Baekhyun’s heart stopped beating for a second, before starting to run at an impossible speed a few seconds later. He could not believe his eyes. His body was completely petrified, while Chanyeol seemed confused, looking at him and then at the flower with a wondering expression.</p><p> </p><p>“Baekhyun…you look like you just saw a hydra ” Chanyeol said, shaking Baekhyun’s shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>“What is that?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s the <em>Fern Flower</em>, Chanyeol” he said. “The flower of lovers.ˮ</p><p>
  
</p><p>At that, Chanyeol stopped too and both his face and ears turned completely crimson.</p><p> </p><p>“The flower that blooms with the power of true love” Baekhyun continued. “The myth says…that it only blooms in the presence of two <em>soulmates.” </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Of course, Baekhyun read all about that flower.</p><p> </p><p>He knew every myth, every legend, every story the ancient diviners told, but that specific one always made his heart feel warm. Baekhyun always looked at that little, yellow flower preserved in a glass bell that his mother kept on her drawer, wondering if, one day, he would be able to find one too, and if someone would love him like that.</p><p> </p><p>The tattoos, the flower, the way they could talk to each other without uttering a single word, how Baekhyun had dreamt of him for years and years…his answer was finally there, right in front of them, shining in the form of a beautiful flower.</p><p> </p><p>“So…the tattoos and the dreams actually mean something?”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Dreams</em>-ˮ Baekhyun tried to ask back but a noise coming from somewhere close stopped his words.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you hear that?”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun abruptly stood up and Chanyeol followed, reaching for the dagger he kept in the bag. They both prepared themselves, listening to the noises of the forest around them and then, all of a sudden, someone appeared from the tree behind them.</p><p> </p><p>"He’s there!" Baekhyun screamed, catching Chanyeol’s attention.</p><p> </p><p>The other boy ran towards them at a fast speed, holding a sword in his right hand as he prepared himself for the attack.</p><p> </p><p>Kyungsoo, Chanyeol remembered. The boy from Terrestrium, the clever brewer, the one who knew venoms better than anyone else. Kyungsoo’s eyes looked bloated and Chanyeol immediately noticed how his body was wounded in more than one place. It was evident they were not his first opponents and Chanyeol wondered if the blood staining his shirt was his or someone else’s.</p><p> </p><p>"Chanyeol, watch out!" Baekhyun screamed at him, making him concentrate again.</p><p> </p><p>The boy from Terrestrium launched himself at Chanyeol first, fighting with his sword as he attacked back with the dagger. Kyungsoo kept moving, trying to cut his neck with the sword and, as he came closer, Chanyeol noticed a green liquid dripping from the tip of the weapon.</p><p> </p><p>"The sword is poisoned, Baekhyun!” Chanyeol screamed, blocking both Kyungsoo and the blade with his entire body and the dagger, pushing him back as Baekhyun run towards them.</p><p> </p><p>"Why are you even helping him?!" Kyungsoo said, gnashing his teeth. "We didn’t come here to run in a flowery field while holding hands. You’re enemies, you come from the two reigns that started this damn war, you should be the ones trying to stab each other."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol did not reply, he knew Kyungsoo was trying to mess with his brain and distract him.</p><p> </p><p>"Chanyeol, move!" Baekhyun was behind him and, as soon as he pushed Kyungsoo back and ran away, a flash of white light originated from the other’s hands. Kyungsoo got propelled against one of the trees surrounding them as Baekhyun ran towarda him, catching the poisoned sword that just fell to the ground.</p><p> </p><p>"Tsk, so you’re what? Allies?" He laughed, spitting blood from his mouth. "Or, wait, let me guess...<em>lovers</em>? Pathetic."</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun pointed the sword to his neck</p><p> </p><p> "Who did you just call pathetic?"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, so you aren’t that incapable, pretty boy" he said. "Too bad you get distracted easily."</p><p> </p><p>All of a sudden, Baekhyun was the one on the ground, with the tip of a dagger leaking with poison pressed to his neck.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol’s brain froze right in that instant.</p><p> </p><p>His insides were in a turmoil and something was growing in his stomach. It felt like a gale, raging and tempestuous, born from the deepest corner of his ribcage, coming alive as the strongest storm. It was a weird feeling but Chanyeol learnt that nothing seemed normal when Baekhyun was involved. Was it fear? Rage? Adrenaline? Perhaps a mixture of all that, but also something more, a foreign sensation that made his lungs breathe faster. His heart was in overdrive as he looked at Baekhyun lying there, with the poisoned point of a knife pressed to his neck, his eyes terrified for the first time since he had met him.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol could run away, he could save his own life and leave Baekhyun there to be killed.</p><p> </p><p>But he did not.</p><p> </p><p>He did not, because seeing Baekhyun risking his life felt more terrifying than dying. Right in that moment, Chanyeol realized how scared he was at the thought of losing Baekhyun. It was crazy, it did not make sense, because they met only a few days before, but why did he feel like that boy had always belonged in his life? As if Baekhyun had been with him since he was born, perhaps inside his heart or his head, as someone he could not properly see, someone whose face was unknown, but someone who had always been <em>there. </em></p><p> </p><p>Without even realizing, the world was suddenly in slow motion. Chanyeol moved his hand towards Kyungsoo, his palm raised, staying still as something generated from him, something similar to Baekhyun’s light.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Fire. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Flames surrounded his arm like a snake, reaching his hand and shooting in front of him, hitting Kyungsoo right in the middle of his chest and making him fall to the ground, together with his dagger. Chanyeol ran forward, with his palm still in flames and holding Kyungsoo from the collar of his shirt with his free hand, glaring at him. Baekhyun was still on the ground and Chanyeol could feel his eyes on him. He could just pray that he would not run away from him out of fear.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re just like him, aren’t you?” Kyungsoo said, his eyes watering at the pain on his chest.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol did not reply.</p><p> </p><p>“Why don’t you just kill me?” Kyungsoo asked again, holding his stare, trying to be strong, but Chanyeol noticed his pupils wavering in fear.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol could kill him, right there, on the spot.</p><p> </p><p>Kyungsoo tried to kill Baekhyun and he was probably the one who threw that dagger at him, so it would only made sense to use his powers again and burn him alive, getting one of their clever enemies out of their way.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol could kill him, but he did not, because he was nothing like the demon they wanted him to become.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not like that, Kyungsoo” he confessed, releasing his hold on the boy’s shirt.</p><p> </p><p> “I’m not a monster”</p><p> </p><p>Kyungsoo was staring at him, out of words as he held his chest with one blooded hand. He was confused, perhaps incredulous, waiting for Chanyeol to change his mind and cut his throat open with his own dagger.</p><p> </p><p>But he did not do it.</p><p> </p><p>“Just don’t touch Baekhyun ever again” he said resolutely “Now, go.”</p><p> </p><p>Kyungsoo looked at him for one last time before catching his dagger and running away between the bushes and trees of the forest, disappearing in the darkness.</p><p> </p><p>"Chanyeol!" he heard Baekhyun screaming and, before he could even realize, the boy was in his arms, holding him tight, pressing his face against the taller’s chest.</p><p> </p><p>For the first time, Baekhyun looked vulnerable. He was shaking, panting heavily. He looked so different from that strong, invincible boy he always admired. His eyes were not shining with confidence, but rather drowning in fear.</p><p> </p><p>"You can’t die. Y-you can’t die, Chanyeol!" he said, his voice muffled by the other’s shirt. "We’re doing this together, you get it? None of us can die, Chanyeol, none of us!"</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol circled the other’s body with his arms, laying his cheek against the shorter’s head. As soon as his hold tightened, he could feel Baekhyun relaxing against his chest.</p><p> </p><p>"And those flames? You’re gifted too, Chanyeol. You have Ignis’ <em>gift</em>" Baekhyun was now holding his cheeks with the palm of his hands. "This means you belong to Ignis. Your reign is a part of you, no matter what tattoo you have on your skin. You aren’t a traitor, nor a sin."</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>What if I kissed you right now? </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Wait, what? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He wanted to slap himself.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>It’s not like you can kiss him whenever you feel like doing it just because a flower said you’re soulmates, Chanyeol... </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun giggled.</p><p> </p><p>Once again, Chanyeol forgot that he was able to hear his thoughts.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"What did you...what did you mean the other day?" Baekhyun asked. "You said that you dreamt about me."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun had been venturing together through Nyalis for three days already. They passed Terrestrium — thankfully without encountering any other obstacle — and they were now reaching the end of Glaciem. The scenery looked so different from Terrestrium, as if those two reigns belonged to completely different worlds. If one rejoiced in the purest form of life, the other was dark, dull, dead. The grey expanse was completely frozen, immortalized inside the ice. The palace looked like it had been excavated inside a mountain and snow slowly kept falling from the gray clouds that seemed to infest the place like an old spirit. It was desolated, silent, drown in an unfamiliar loneliness. Baekhyun knew about Glaciem’s history. He knew how his population had been almost completely assassinated during the war. They were considered useless in the fight, merely exploited for their abilities as weapon-makers.</p><p> </p><p>"This — this is a bit embarrassing, actually" Chanyeol scratched the back of his head as his cheeks flushed. "I...I’ve been dreaming about you since I was barely a child. Well, I think it was you, considering the white light and the figure hiding in it, plus a white ermine."</p><p> </p><p>The taller removed his jacket while talking, wrapping Baekhyun’s shaking shoulders with it to later cover his own body with one of the blankets they found in the bags.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol failed to notice the way Baekhyun snuggled into it, faintly blushing.</p><p> </p><p>"In those dreams...you never talked and whenever I tried to touch you, you disappeared. Except for that one last time, the day before they chose the names for the quest" Baekhyun was now looking at him, with a questioning expression on his face. "You called for my name and then told me that someone was coming for us, that we would me each other soon...it was the first time I heard your voice."</p><p> </p><p>The shorter stopped, grabbing Chanyeol’s wrist to make him turn around, as snow slowly fell on both them. It was hard to not stare at Baekhyun and the way those little snowflakes got tangled in his white hair.</p><p> </p><p>"I had the same dream for years too" he confessed, staring at him. "You were hiding in the darkness and all of a sudden everything was in flames, just before you turned into a dragon. I heard your voice for the first time on the same day."</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was taken aback for a second. The boy that kept appearing in his sleep had always been dreaming about him too. Their nights, their minds, their thoughts, their dreams were connected. They were linked by an invisible yet undeniable bond. A red thread of destiny, perhaps, the one legends talked about.</p><p> </p><p>"Something is happening here... but I have no idea what."</p><p> </p><p>"I wish I knew, too" Baekhyun said, getting close to Chanyeol once again, tracing his jaw with one finger, just like he did that night back at the palace. "But I like that <em>this something</em> is happening between us..."</p><p> </p><p>Sometimes, Baekhyun flirted with him and Chanyeol did not know how to act and this, was definitely one of those times. He tripped over a stone and almost fell face flat on the snow.</p><p> </p><p>"I-I just don’t understand why you can hear my thoughts and I can’t hear yours" he was trying to hide his embarrassment, but it was impossible to notice that Baekhyun was giggling inside his jacket. "I-I mean...I can apparently talk to you and you can hear me, but I can’t read your mind the way you do with mine. Is it your magic? The same one you used with Jongdae?"</p><p> </p><p>"I never used magic with Jongdae, Chanyeol...well, except for that little knive prank. I just heard what he said through your mind" Baekhyun answered. "Only some people are able to use telepathy and this specific magic isn’t evolved. It’s rare, it takes two heavily connected people to happen, let’s say it’s a special kind of gift some people have..."</p><p> </p><p>"But then...why can’t I hear you?" he asked back.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun breathed heavily, raising his head towards the sky and welcoming the snowflakes delicately landed on his skin.</p><p> </p><p>"Some minds are dark places, Chanyeol. They can be filled with terrifying memories, excruciating pain, horrible images. Sometimes it’s better to not venture in there."</p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p> </p><p>"I locked my mind. I used magic to protect it and never allow other people to see through it."</p><p> </p><p>"But...why did you do that?"</p><p> </p><p>"My older brother was able to read it and I didn’t want him to be disgusted by what I was and how I felt. I couldn’t accept the fact that he was able to feel my pain on his own skin...I was afraid he would never look at me the same way again..." Baekhyun’s words cut Chanyeol like a rain of daggers. "So I locked it. I locked it so that he would never be able to enter it, so that no one could see what haunted me every night, what I tried so hard to forget..."</p><p> </p><p>“But I want to know, Baekhyun” Chanyeol said, unable to look at him in the eyes, tightening his fists. “I want to know everything about you and, if it means the darkest of your sides, then I want to know that too.”</p><p> </p><p>“There are horrible things in there. Absolutely horrible, Chanyeol” Baekhyun was trying to meet his eyes, but the other kept avoiding them. “I don’t want you to look at me with disgust...”</p><p> </p><p>“But I’d never be disgusted by you, Baekhyun. Your past...your past may be a part of you, but it isn’t you. You aren’t the things other people did to you, you aren’t a pawn in the destiny someone else decided on your behalf” they were finally staring at each other and Chanyeol’s eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes focused, as strong as the ice surrounding them. “If we...if we are connected, somehow...then I want to be able to see what’s inside your mind as much as you do with mine.”</p><p> </p><p>The wind blowing suddenly became colder, its whistling sound resonating through the snowy, desolated valley. Baekhyun sighed, looking around for a few seconds, as if he was gathering enough courage to face Chanyeol again.</p><p> </p><p>“Just don’t leave me, Chanyeol” he said. “Don’t leave me once those images change the way you see me.”</p><p> </p><p>And then, Baekhyun walked closer, guiding Chanyeol’s head until their foreheads were lying against each other, holding his temples.</p><p> </p><p>All of a sudden, everything was dark, just like in his dreams. Baekhyun seemed to have disappeared but then, in the distance, Chanyeol could see something appearing in front of him. At first, it was a light but then it morphed into images, his memories. They were confused, overlapping, but Chanyeol could still neatly see through them.</p><p> </p><p>There was Baekhyun running towards his father — just after he had learned how to walk, clumsily stepping on a vast marble floor. Joyful laughs could be heard in the background. Then, he could clearly see Baekhyun when he was maybe six, posing in front of the mirror with his mother’s clothes and jewels, before she entered the frame and hugged him to her chest, smiling at her child.</p><p> </p><p>In the next memory, Baekhyun looked older, already a teenager, smiling while sitting at a table with both of his brothers. One of them, the one who looked younger, just smeared a bit of strawberry jam on his face and the others were laughing at him. Yeosang. Chanyeol could not help but notice how similar he was to Baekhyun.</p><p> </p><p>But then, that cold wind started blowing inside his mind too. He could feel it on his skin and its whistle now invaded his brain too. The atmosphere completely changed. Gone were those bright and happy days, that faded into black and white memories.</p><p> </p><p>At first, there was a man touching Baekhyun. He passed his finger all over his body, standing behind him, before licking his neck and jaw like a ravenous hyena. The man’s face was not clear, as if the memory was slowly fading away, as if someone was trying so hard to conceal it. Again, the images shifted. There were hands now touching his skin once again but also teeth biting his flesh, nails scratching his back, and disgusting words being whispered into his ears.</p><p> </p><p><em>Slut</em>.</p><p> </p><p>That was the only word Chanyeol could distinguish amongst Baekhyun’s loud screams.</p><p> </p><p>Then, there was Baekhyun again, lying on a bed covered with silky, white sheets but there was something staining it. Blood. Fresh blood coming from dozens of wounds scattered all over his beautiful body. Two men were there this time, looking at him as they laughed, calling him the most depicable words. One of them was holding a pocket knife, the other had a leather whip in his hands.</p><p> </p><p>Their words were suddenly muffled by Baekhyun’s screams, useless prayers were being shouted at the two men, asking them to stop hurting him, but they were not listening. They started using his body as if the boy was nothing more than a toy — invading him like thirsty demons, destroying him from the inside, breaking something that could never be repaired again.</p><p> </p><p>After that, the memories started to blend into one another, becoming nothing more than a mixture of voices, blurred faces and bodies.</p><p> </p><p>But Baekhyun never screamed again.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as it ended, Chanyeol launched himself at Baekhyun, hugging him to his chest, hiding his head inside his arms. Chanyeol was crying, broken, his lungs choking, gasping for air. He could feel Baekhyun faintly smiling against his ribcage, his arms shaking as he hugged him back.</p><p> </p><p>It was as if Chanyeol could feel it. Those dirty hands wandering around his body, the breath of those men whispering profanities in his ears, those teeth penetrating in his flesh, the burning pain of being invaded, penetrated, killed from the inside. He wanted to replace those memories. He wanted those faces to completely fade in the darkness. He wanted to suppress those screams and exchange them with laughter. He wanted to be the one whispering into Baekhyun’s ears and replace those disgusting voices with words of pure love.</p><p> </p><p>“I-I’m sorry” he tried to say among all those tears. “I-I’m so sorry I wasn’t there...”</p><p> </p><p>“But you were there, Chanyeol” Baekhyun said, snuggling against the taller’s chest.</p><p> </p><p>“Every night, you were there.”</p><p> </p><p>He was smiling.</p><p> </p><p>“In my dreams, you were there, reminding me that I wasn’t alone, that someone was waiting for me, somewhere...and I was right, because you’re here now.”</p><p> </p><p>Somehow to Chanyeol, it was not enough.</p><p> </p><p>A part of him might have been there for Baekhyun, but it was barely a reflection, a fragment of his soul. Chanyeol was not there, he was not  there to dry Baekhyun’s tears, he was nor there to clean his wounds, he was not there to hug him through the night, when those nightmares came to devour him, and tell him that he deserved so much better than what life was offering him.</p><p> </p><p>Right there, with Baekhyun in his arms, he understood that he felt the need to protect him. He did not want to shield him from his opponents, to substitute him in his battles, to hide him behind his back if someone tried to hurt him... He knew Baekhyun was strong enough to do that. Chanyeol wanted to protect his mind, his soul, that heart that had been shattered too many times. He wanted to teach him how to love himself, how to see the beautiful being he was whenever he looked into a mirror, how to make him understand that he was alive.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re not alone, Baekhyun” he said, caressing the back of the other’s head. “You’re not alone anymore.”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun was smiling again. Chanyeol could feel his lips curving against his chest. If at least one of those terrifying memories would have been replaced with something they shared together... then Chanyeol decided he could be happy for the rest of his life.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you for being here. For real, this time” Baekhyun confessed.</p><p> </p><p>“We were supposed to cut each other’s throat open but we’re here hugging in the middle of nowhere. Those bald heads with magic powers won’t be happy about this situation...”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun laughed wholeheartedly and Chanyeol thought that it was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, fuck them.”</p><p> </p><p>Their laughs mixed together in the snowy air, reverberating on the mountains of the desolated valley, disappearing in the cold breeze. Baekhyun felt free, he felt alive, that same marvelous sensation that exploded in his chest every single time he escaped the palace and reached the luminous streets of Inlumino. Because Chanyeol smelled like freedom, happiness, life in its purest and simplest form, despite the darkness of his past.</p><p> </p><p>But two broken souls can heal each other.</p><p> </p><p>Amongst their laughs though, something terrifying arose.</p><p> </p><p>It was a scream.</p><p> </p><p>One that sounded like someone’s last one.</p><p> </p><p>“What was that?” Baekhyun let go of Chanyeol as they both turned towards the direction of that voice.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think it’s too far away from here” Chanyeol said. “We have to find him.”</p><p> </p><p>“But it could be one of our enemies, Chanyeol. Or worse, two of them: a dead one and an assassin.”</p><p> </p><p>“He could need help, Baekhyun.”</p><p> </p><p>Just like that, Chanyeol took both their bags and ran towards the voice. Baekhyun could not help but follow him, his heart warming up at such a brave gesture. During those days together, he realized Chanyeol knew no selfishness. The valley looked endless and always the same, as if they were running in circle. Only the mountains nearing in front of them gave them a direction. Baekhyun ran a few metres behind Chanyeol and, suddenly, he saw the other stopping. They were standing right in front of the base of the high mountain, before what is seemed a long passage, excavated inside. The end of Glaciem, the road to Aequor.</p><p> </p><p>“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked, walking closer until he reached his side, but as soon as he followed the other’s stare, he realized that there was someone lying on the ground.</p><p> </p><p>Kim Junmyeon, Baekhyun remembered.</p><p> </p><p>His eyes were still wide open, directed towards the grey vault above them. There was blood covering the snow, dirtying its pureness with the fresh odor of death as it copiously fell from the body. His skin was already turning grey and his stare looked empty and lost, lifeless.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s dead” Baekhyun said, trying to digest that scenery.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Death. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Death in its most brutal, painful and unfair demonstration. A boy that was barely more than a kid assassinated in the middle of nowhere. A boy who probably had a family, friends or a lover back home, someone that would cry for him, was dead. Dead, because of someone else’s games. Dead, because of a war he could not be blamed for. Dead, because his assassin decided he did not deserve to live.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol crouched down, punching the ground, tightening his fists.</p><p> </p><p>“Is this what the Gods wanted?” he screamed. “Are they happy with their stupid schemes? Are they laughing at us from up there, leaving us in complete despair, allowing us to butcher one another like animals? As if all of us humans are nothing more than a few pawns in a board game?”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol turned his face towards the sky, screaming at the clouds above them, shouting a desperate prayer directed to the unknown.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you happy, now?! Is this what you wanted?!”</p><p> </p><p>He breathed heavily, drying one falling tear with his hand covered in snow, while Baekhyun could only watch. Chanyeol stood up, collecting the snow around them and moving it near Junmyeon’s dead body, before covering it completely. He left his face out for a few seconds, delicately closing his eyes with the point of his fingers, then proceeding to bury him completely.</p><p> </p><p>“You deserved better than this, Junmyeon” he whispered, taking Baekhyun’s hand in his.</p><p> </p><p>They would live.</p><p> </p><p>They would live for those who did not have the chance.</p><p> </p><p>They would live to give them the world they all had deserved from the very beginning.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Legends told that Aequor was the origin of Nyalis.</p><p> </p><p>At the dawn of civilization, Aequor was born from the waters, emerging from the blue sea as the Gods’ first creation. The reign looked regal while it run all around the perfectly circular lake in the middle, where the royal palace arose like a majestic Tiamat appearing from the deepest waters. Along the perimeter of the serene lake, houses were built and limpid water gushed from enormous statues. One represented a muscular man holding a vase, the one next to it was a beautiful woman, while others were shaped like different marine creatures, such as an Alastyn, a mermaid or a terrifying Kraken. White bridges were scattered all over, even before the marvelous waterfall that resplended in a beautiful aquamarine colour. What enchanted Chanyeol and Baekhyun the most were the colourful fishes jumping in and out of the water, as well as the backs of numerous whales swimming inside the lake and welcoming them with their melodious voices.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun turned toward Chanyeol, scanning down his face with worried eyes. It was evident that he still had not recovered from the sight of Junmyeon’s corpse. His head was hanging low, mostly staring at the ground as they walked, and his eyes were lost somewhere Baekhyun could not reach. The shorter took his hand, locking their fingers together and slowly moving closer to his side. He moved until his face was right in front of Chanyeol’s, smiling lovingly, making the other giggle as well.</p><p> </p><p>“You look handsome when you smile, keep doing that” Baekhyun said, his heart rejoicing at the sight of Chanyeol’s now crimson cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>“You-you look handsome too” Chanyeol tried to mutter, scratching the back of his neck in total embarrassment. “P-pretty. You’re pretty...”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun’s heart felt like it was flying on the back of a thousands butterflies. For the first time, someone called him pretty, the purest compliment he had ever heard. Chanyeol never uttered a single comment on his body, he never described him like hundreds of other men did. To him, Baekhyun was simply pretty.</p><p> </p><p>So, Baekhyun just kissed Chanyeol’s cheeks. He felt like a little kid with his first love. His heart beating fast for the first time, his body heating up, that insatiable need of giggling at the slightest touch of their hands.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol, on his part, was trying hard to not faint as they walked. He never had what people called a crush, not even for the cute girls he saw wandered around Ignis when he was old enough to understand the differences between men and women. He was not interested in love, or so he thought, before looking at Baekhyun in the eyes for the first time that night. Chanyeol was not sure if he knew what it meant yet, but a part of him was convinced that love just looked like Baekhyun. Baekhyun, who was bathing in the warm light of the falling sun, resplending as if his skin was made of the purest jade. Baekhyun, whose laughter sounded like the music of a thousands lyres playing in unison. Baekhyun, who was holding his hand and glancing at him every now and then, the person who made his body feel like flying towards the sky, right above the mantle of white clouds.</p><p> </p><p>Only one thing made Chanyeol come back to reality and it was Baekhyun’s voice, talking out loud.</p><p> </p><p>“There are no fruits growing on the trees and no animals to hunt. This place looks full of people too” Baekhyun reasoned aloud. “It’ll be hard to get some food for dinner here, I’m afraid we’ll have to starve tonight...”</p><p> </p><p>“We won’t” Chanyeol’s expression broke into a sly smile. “Years and years of poverty taught me the art of robbery, Baekhyun, and I’m pretty sure there’s a market somewhere in this city.”</p><p> </p><p>“But what about the citizens?” He asked. “We can’t even talk to them, I don’t want innocent people being killed because of us...”</p><p> </p><p>“Just trust me” Chanyeol was already rummaging the inside of their bags, taking the blankets out and wrapping them around both Baekhyun’s and his own head. From afar, they certainly looked like cloaks. “Will you?”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was offering him his hand once again, smiling down at him and Baekhyun took it, dragging him along the busy streets of Aequor.</p><p> </p><p>This is it, Chanyeol thought.</p><p> </p><p>Running in the marine breeze as their laughter mixed, the sensation of something new blossoming in the middle of their chests, the freedom of youth flooding their veins like a waterfall. Chanyeol was happy, because Baekhyun was there, dragging his body along the lake and towards the market, turning his head just to smile at him.</p><p> </p><p>Right there, Chanyeol realized.</p><p> </p><p>This is how love should feel like.</p><p> </p><p>“Is this the fastest you can run after you entitle yourself as the Prince of Thieves?” Baekhyun shouted at him, laughing gracefully, their hands still locked.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t challenge me, Byun Baekhyun!” and just like that, he ran faster, dragging the other with him.</p><p> </p><p>The market appeared right in front of them, full of beautiful fruits, bread of all shapes and every breed of fish. Chanyeol and Baekhyun hide behind a tree, trying to stay unnoticed from the crowd, only glancing at the counters.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Go for the fish and the bread”</em> Baekhyun was communicating with Chanyeol’s mind, making it impossible for other people to eavesdrop them.</p><p> </p><p><em>“And you stay here, let the expert work his magic”</em> the taller replied and it was easy to notice the amused undertone of his words.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol cracked the bones of his fingers, preparing himself to get into action and making Baekhyun giggle at such a sight.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Watch and be amazed” </em>he said again, winking at Baekhyun before hiding his face with the hood of his improvised cloak.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol walked towards the first counter that proudly displayed rows and rows of bread, in all its shapes. Baekhyun observed him from behind the tree, amused by the other’s concentrated expression. The taller quickly glanced at the seller and, as soon as the man turned around, he rapidly lifted his cloak and hid a whole loaf under it. His enthusiastic expression was making Baekhyun giggle uncontrollably.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Good job, dumbass”</em> he whispered to the other’s mind, receiving a smug smile in return.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol walked to the next stall, skipping the one that sold liquors and wines. A big variety of fishes was glistening under the warm sun and Baekhyun could almost taste their fresh flavor already. The tall boy pretended to be looking around, acting uninterested, before putting his hands on one of the sea breams.</p><p> </p><p>Too bad that the seller suddenly turned around.</p><p> </p><p>“A thief!” the man screamed. “A thief is trying to steal my fish!”</p><p> </p><p><em>“Run”</em> Chanyeol told Baekhyun, grabbing the first two fishes he could get and catching the other’s hands as he run.</p><p> </p><p>And just like that, they were sprinting around Aequor again, still laughing wholeheartedly despite the man and a few other citizens chasing them. The lot was heavy in their hands, but they felt so young running like that, in the middle of a city, being followed by a group of angry men while holding hands. It felt right, as if happiness had started rushing through their veins like the waves during a summer storm.</p><p> </p><p>“You know I could have made myself invisible by using magic, right?” Baekhyun screamed.</p><p> </p><p>“And you tell me that just now, Byun Baekhyun?!” Chanyeol replied back, turning his head to look at him. It was easy to notice that he was not actually angry, just completely amused because of such an absurd situation.</p><p> </p><p>“You looked like a proud dumbass, it was way too funny to watch!”</p><p> </p><p>The two were running along the circular lake and, as soon as a small wood appeared in the distance, they immediately agreed — the perfect place to leave their chasers behind. They moved along the trees and bushes and soon the men gave up, leaving them with their precious dinner. Exchanging a proud smile, the two proceeded walking inside the small forest, reaching the opposite side of the lake when the sun was already leaving its place to a beautiful full moon.</p><p> </p><p>“You should use your power to light up a small fire. I think raw fish might not be edible.”</p><p> </p><p>“You think I can do that again?” Chanyeol asked and Baekhyun seemed surprised at his lack of confidence.</p><p> </p><p>“Of course you can, Chanyeol. It’s your Gift. It’s not common for people to have it, you should learn how to master the art of creating and controlling flames.”</p><p> </p><p>“B-but...I don’t know how” he looked confused as his eyebrows furrowed. “I wasn’t planning on...incinerating Kyungsoo’s chest, it just happened. I felt as if my body knew what to do, while my mind didn’t.”</p><p> </p><p>“Gifts manifest themselves after an intense emotion, which may be fear, love...or both” Baekhyun explained. “You were scared and your inner flame answered, attacking Kyungsoo on your behalf.”</p><p> </p><p>“But then...why didn’t it happen when those soldiers threatened my brother’s life right in front of my eyes? I could have...I could have saved him but...I just stood there, looking at them taking him away from me.”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun could see his eyes darkening.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not your fault, Chanyeol” he moved closer, holding the other’s face with one of his hands and Chanyeol leaned into it, seeking the warmth and comfort his skin provided. “There’s a time and place for everything. Gifts are living beings, they’re fragments of Nyalis’ elementary forcers that reside inside of you. Until you learn how to dominate them, they’ll be the ones to decide when it’s time to act.”</p><p> </p><p>“How do I control it, then?”</p><p> </p><p>“You need to feel it burning inside you, before channeling its power and use it to your will” Baekhyun was almost whispering to his ears, positioning himself behind Chanyeol and delicately closing his eyes with the tips of his fingers. “Find it, listen to it, let its warmth invade your body.”</p><p> </p><p>As Baekhyun spoke and darkness invaded his vision, Chanyeol felt something. It was a flame, perhaps one of the size of a burning match, illuminating the depth of his soul. It shone in the darkness of such a somber place, dancing with the wind that started blowing through the leaves of the trees around them, dazzling in such a warm candor. Chanyeol imagined to move his hands until the flame touched him. The fire wasn’t burning his skin, it was kissing it, like a gentle lover would.</p><p> </p><p>“Welcome it, hold it tightly and never let it go.”</p><p> </p><p>He closed his hand in a fist and everything became dark once again, but there was something growing inside his chest. It was a warmth that felt like the glistening sun during the hot summer of Ignis, like Flamma’s breath of flames, like the stirring pot in Norfyr’s chimney. It felt like the candor radiating from his brother’s hugs in the morning, the warmth and protection provided from his woollen blanket, that feeling of safety and love Baekhyun’s hands gave him.</p><p> </p><p>“And now...release it.”</p><p> </p><p>As Baekhyun spoke, Chanyeol opened his hand, turning his palm to the sky.</p><p> </p><p>Right there, a flame bloomed.</p><p> </p><p>“You did it, Chanyeol” he said. “The gift is yours, now.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol felt powerful.</p><p> </p><p>He was pervaded by a weird sensation, as if his body was born again from its ashes, reviving like a Phoenix. The boy positioned his arm in front of his chest, with his palm raised up, creating a single flame on a bunch of fallen branches.</p><p> </p><p>The rest of the night was spent amongst laughs, stolen glances, a beautiful feeling of peace and a tasty dinner eaten in front of the burning bonfire. The sparks were dancing in the air, higher and higher towards the sky, mixing with the light of all those stars shining bright in the darkish blue vault. A full moon was imposing herself in the dark mantle of a summer night, embracing the world under her with a faint, white veil. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were now lying on the humid grass, their eyes fixed on the sky above but peeking at each other from time to time, while soft words were being exchanged in the silence. Timidly, their hands started to wander.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you up for a swim in the enchanted lake?” Baekhyun asked, smiling softly.</p><p> </p><p>“I thought terrifying marine monsters lived in there? Ending up being devoured by a gigantic sea snake isn’t exactly the kind of death I wish for...”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, come on, Chanyeol” he said, giggling. “Sea creatures don’t eat humans. That’s the typical story your parents tell you to keep you away from water to prevent you from drowning yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then I’m in, but if this information ends up being inaccurate, then you’ll have <em>this </em>guy haunt you.ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“We haven’t even kissed, I can’t let you die yet.”</p><p> </p><p>“W-what?” Chanyeol stuttered as his face and body heated up, but Baekhyun was already running towards the lake, laughing out loud while removing his clothes, letting them fall to the ground.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol followed him, undressing himself until only his underwear remained on his body, approaching the water with a little bit of terror as the songs of a few creatures could be heard from the other side of the lake.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on, coward!” Baekhyun was already swimming beautifully, shouting at him while splashing some water towards his direction.</p><p> </p><p>The tall boy slowly entered the enormous pond, testing the temperature of the water first and he could distinctly hear Baekhyun laughing at him. The moon was reflecting on the calm water, as her image moved and morphed into delicate brushstrokes on the surface of the lake. The gentle breeze moved the leaves on the trees around them and their rustle created a beautiful melody, mixing with the voices of the whales. Chanyeol dipped himself inside the cold water, moving his arms and legs around until Baekhyun reached him, positioning himself in front of the taller.</p><p> </p><p>“You finally made it.”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun was so dangerously close.</p><p> </p><p>Small drops of water fell from his hair, gliding down his shoulders and proceeding towards the rest of his body, marking its outline. The moon was caressing the delicate traits of his face, while the stars dazzled in his dark eyes, making them look like the most beautiful night sky Chanyeol had ever seen. He looked majestic, his naked body only dressed with the transparent tears of the enchanted lake, making him become one with the scenery that enveloped him.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was scared.</p><p> </p><p>Scared of things going so fast between them.</p><p> </p><p>Perhaps, was it <em>love? </em>Was the Fern Flower right? Chanyeol did not know. Maybe he was still too young and inexperienced, maybe he was just terrified of calling that feeling by the right name. Perhaps, Chanyeol knew that he could not imagine a life without Baekhyun anymore. How could something so <em>unknown</em>, feel so natural at the same time? Why did it feel so <em>right</em> to stare at Baekhyun drenched in the moonlight of a summer night, to be so physically and mentally close to someone he barely knew? Why did he feel so at <em>home</em> whenever their eyes met or their hands grazed each other? Chanyeol did not know but, if a part of him was terrified, the other was telling him to move closer to Baekhyun, to let his fingers lay on the smaller’s cheek and to let the stars testify their promise.</p><p> </p><p>“If you aren’t going to kiss me... then catch me!” Baekhyun said, bringing Chanyeol back from reality as he splashed cold water on his face.</p><p> </p><p>The smaller started running and Chanyeol’s feet automatically followed him, chasing him in the enchanted lake until their legs could not even touch the ground anymore. He felt as if he was turning back in time, when the lightheartedness of his young age filled his mind, back to those old days when he would play near the Ignis’ shore and run on the wet sand. Baekhyun made him feel like that, like a child experiencing life for the first time.</p><p> </p><p>“Chanyeol! Look!” Baekhyun was a few meters away from him, indicating a certain spot with one of his fingers. The water was moving in a circular shape and, before Chanyeol could even realize, a Kelpie appeared from beneath the surface, neighing out loud.</p><p> </p><p>It was a beautiful creature, shaped like a horse but with the tail of a mermaid. Its blue skin was luminescent, shining like a topaz under the serene moonlight. Baekhyun moved closer to the Kelpie, offering it his hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Baekhyun, be careful!” Chanyeol shouted, scared by the proximity of the two.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, shut up, giant. Kelpies aren’t dangerous” Baekhyun answered, laying his fingers on the creature’s muzzle as it snuggled closer to his touch. “Unless you disrespect them.”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun moved even closer, letting his head rest on the Kelpie’s while they both closed their eyes, enjoying each other’s presence. He looked like a prince, adorned only by those little drops of water that glistened under the moon rays while the light the creature emitted shone on his skin. A being that could not belong to such a simple world, one that seemed to be coming from somewhere beyond the clouds, maybe where the Gods resided, crafted and sculpted by the stars themselves. The Kelpie swam away after greeting Baekhyun with a delicate nod and he waved back his hand, telling it goodbye. Chanyeol took advantage of Baekhyun’s distraction to catch him, enclosing his naked body with both of his arms.</p><p> </p><p>"Got you" Chanyeol whispered in the silence, before realizing how close their bodies were.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun did not move. The warmth of Chanyeol’s skin radiating on his body was making his heart run impossibly fast but, at the same time, he was praying the moon to never let that moment end. He felt protected in those arms that offered him such a comfort, a feeling of belonging, the sensation of coming back home after a long day. Because Chanyeol felt like home, more than the royal palace of Inlumino ever did.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, Baekhyun felt a pair of lips shyly kissing his back, right where his tattoo was shining in gold.</p><p> </p><p>He turned around, his eyes focused on Chanyeol’s face. It was not hard to notice how surprised of his own actions the taller was. His head was hanging low, focused on the surface of the water, too ashamed to look at Baekhyun.</p><p> </p><p>"I-I’m sorry" he muttered. "I shouldn’t... I shouldn’t have but...everytime I see your tattoo I feel like a part of you belongs with me and I couldn’t — I couldn’t help myself."</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, you shouldn’t have" he whispered back. "You should have kissed me somewhere else, instead."</p><p> </p><p>The intimacy of that moment was making both of their hearts implode. As the moon shone on them, the feeling that once bloomed in the middle of the parliament’s garden morphed into something new. A beautiful flower, perhaps, a golden one that shone against the darkness of that night. The water slowly moved together with the breeze, its beautiful song resonating with the silence the night was drenched in. They were alone, in the middle of the enchanted lake, with only the moon and stars as witnesses.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun realized that he was not scared, anymore. He was not scared of being loved. Because he could see it in the way Chanyeol looked at him, he could feel it in such a delicate and sweet kiss. Baekhyun did not know what love exactly was and it terrified him. But, for Chanyeol, he was willing to take that risk. He was willing to venture himself in such a nebulous feeling, because Chanyeol was there to hold his hand and guide him through that twilight.</p><p> </p><p>And Chanyeol, who just could not bear to divert his eyes from him, felt just the same.</p><p> </p><p>All of a sudden, their lips clashed in a melody that sounded sweeter than a thousands lyres. Their bodies moved together, closer and closer, becoming one with the water beneath them, morphing together with the nature around them. That kiss was the sound of the horses hoof announcing a war, the thunders clashing with the sea in the middle of a storm, the roar of an army of dragons soaring in the sky. But it was also the white flowers blooming on the river’s shores, a deluge of comets descending to the earth, the gleaming mist that envelops every summer night. There was love, love in its purest form, pervading their bodies and uniting them under the stars, as the moon sealed their promise. Hands wandered, reaching every inch of their drenched fleshes, exploring each other for the first time. There was something primordial in their naked bodies standing so close, bathing in the moonlight. Baekhyun was caressing the back of his head and their lips locked and moved in unison, getting their breaths mixed, making them one again and again.</p><p> </p><p>It was the <em>eclipse</em>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>BOOK IV</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Under the Downpour</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>The two were still stealing kisses from each other, even when the sun rose and Aequor was left behind.</p><p> </p><p>It was Inlumino that was now shining in the horizon, reflecting the last sun rays on its pristine white and crystal buildings. It was weird and somehow unsettling for Baekhyun, to see the place he was born in from such a different perspective, to admire it without hiding in the night. The city looked dashing, as enchanted as Aequor’s waters, dazzling under the late afternoon light. The royal palace dominated the scenery with its high walls and tall windows, while the serene river flowed undisturbed through the beautiful city. A few graceful citizens walked down the streets of silver bricks, their white tunics dancing elegantly in the air as they moved.</p><p> </p><p>“So this is where you lived all your life” Chanyeol said, enchanted by the beauty of such a spectacle.</p><p> </p><p>“Fancy, isn’t it?” Baekhyun commented back, giggling lightly.</p><p> </p><p>“I was about to say conceited” he was laughing, glancing at the other. “Who the hell chose shining silver bricks to build a road?”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun could not help but laugh with him, while their hands found each other’s once again. He leaned on the taller, seeking his warmth and receiving back a kiss on his temple. After their mouths met for the first time, it was hard for the two to stay away from each othe. For the entire night, their bodies had entangled together as the humid grass tickled their backs, while small pecks were being exchanged under the rising sun.</p><p> </p><p>Their hearts finally found their missing piece.</p><p> </p><p>“How does it feel to be at home?” Chanyeol asked.</p><p> </p><p>“It never really felt like home” Baekhyun stopped talking for a second, reminiscing his past. “The palace was like a prison for me. I felt trapped, chained up to a place that was way too cold for a child to live in. Whenever I escaped and ran around the city during summer nights, with the breeze blowing on my face and that sensation of pure freedom flowing in my veins...those were the moments when I felt alive. But there was always that unsettling feeling in my chest, the impression of not belonging entirely to this place, as if a part of me resided somewhere else.”</p><p> </p><p>“I get what you mean” the taller confessed. “You don’t even know how many times I wanted to run away from Ignis. My brother was the only thing that always stopped me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe, that part of me was with you” he was smiling, caressing Chanyeol’s hand with his thumb. “Some people say that soulmates’ souls aren’t complete until they meet their other half. Being destined since the day they were born, a fragment of their mind belongs to the other. It’s just a theory, nothing proves its credibility, but I like to think that it’s true.”</p><p> </p><p>“I would...I would trust you with that fragment of myself” despite the kisses and touches they shared, it was still hard for Chanyeol to express his feelings freely. Everytime, he would start to blush and stutter, but Baekhyun adored that shy side of him. “I’m...I’m happy you were the one who guarded it all these years.”</p><p> </p><p>Inlumino suddenly felt like home. But soon Baekhyun realized that home could have been everywhere, even in the darkest rim of Nyalis, as long as Chanyeol was there to keep his hands and heart warm. Baekhyun kissed him slowly, on the tip of his toes, holding his face like the most precious of all diamonds, encaging it in hands.</p><p> </p><p>The sun was starting to set down, leaving its place in the sky to a beautiful moon. The two were walking down the main road in the middle of the pristine white city, munching on their loaf of bread. Chanyeol realized how pompous and rich Inlumino looked. It was permeated by a regal aurea, one that seemed to be way too cold, as if everything in that city had been sculpted from tons of silver. It was hard to not notice how different everything looked from the poor, dull Ignis, built out of dark, rotten wood and old pieces of iron.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol felt like Ignis: forgotten, poor and rotten. He could not help but think about all the things he would not be able to provide for Baekhyun. He grew up in an old, deteriorated house, while the smaller spent his entire life strolling around the chambers of a beautiful castle. Was he enough for Baekhyun? If there was a future after the quest, would he settle with such a nullity that could not even promise him a proper life?</p><p> </p><p>“Chanyeol, I don’t care if you can’t afford to build a castle for me” Baekhyun said. He always forgot how easy it was for him to read his mind. “I want to be with you, may it be in a crystal palace or under a roof made out of rotten wood. My soul has been incomplete since the day I was born but, now that I’ve finally found my missing piece, I have no intention to let it go. To let you go.”</p><p> </p><p>They stopped walking and Baekhyun put what was left of the loaf in the jacket Chanyeol gave him.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve never seeked for gold or power. All I’ve ever wanted was to learn how to love myself, to understand that I was worth something, that my life mattered. This is what you’re giving me, Chanyeol. You’re giving me a reason to not collapse to those memories that keep hunting me. You’re making me glad that I’ve never had enough courage to put the final dot to my story” Baekhyun’s hands were back on Chanyeol’s cheek, collecting the small tears that kept falling down his broken eyes. “And I’m thankful that that fragment of my soul ended up being guarded by you.”</p><p> </p><p>It was there.</p><p> </p><p>The adoration Baekhyun had for Chanyeol was there, in that thousandth kiss they shared as the night sky started to cry, probably jealous of such a pure love blossoming among the downpour. Baekhyun was speaking with sincerity, Chanyeol knew that, and even if it was still hard to accept himself, he swore he would do anything in his hands to make the smaller happy. Kissing under the rain was not as romantic as the two imagined. Water kept filling their mouths and noses, making it impossible to breathe, but the laughter that came with it was just as heartwarming. Chanyeol and Baekhyun started running under the rain, hand in hand once again, filling the silence of a nocturnal Inlumino with their giggles, twirling and playing like two little kids.</p><p> </p><p>Then, Baekhyun stopped, right in front of the river he used to visit during his getaways, admiring the way the rain disturbed its course and how the beautiful palace was reflected on it.</p><p> </p><p>“Inlumino may look pompous right now, but I remember how beautiful it looked before we had to piece it back together, after the war started” he said, lowering his voice all of a sudden. “After…after Ignis betrayed our trust.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, what?” Chanyeol blocked completely, shocked at the words Baekhyun just said. “Ignis never betrayed Inlumino. Inlumino was the one that betrayed us.”</p><p> </p><p>“But that’s completely false, Chanyeol!” Baekhyun was drenched, his white hair almost covering his eyes and the jacket Chanyeol have him was sticking to his body. “Our reigns were allies, but your king didn’t accept the fact that Inlumino was flourishing more than Ignis, so he sent his army of soldiers and dragons and burnt our reign down, until only its ashes were left.”</p><p> </p><p>“It was <em>your </em>king that was jealous of our ability to breed dragons. He wanted to own the knowledge we handed down from generations to generations, but we always refused” Chanyeol neared his lover, looking into his eyes with a stern expression. “Inlumino destroyed Ignis and assassinated almost the entire population, knowing our army wasn’t strong enough to against their magic.”</p><p> </p><p>“That is <em>bullshit</em>!” the smaller attacked back. “Your reign kidnapped my people and turned them into sex slaves. Your soldiers <em>raped</em> Inlumino’s citizens, they used us, tore families apart to sell us like toys.”</p><p> </p><p>“It was <em>your </em>reign that enslaved my people!” Chanyeol was screaming, moving his hands around. “You turned us into slaves, making Ignis’ people serve you in your pompous and rich crystal houses, forcing us to rebuild your entire city.”</p><p> </p><p>“Who were the ones who stole our fire, turning Inlumino into such a cold and desolated place?”</p><p> </p><p>“And who took our light? Who, Baekhyun? Who condemned Ignis to an eternal night?”</p><p> </p><p>Something was wrong. Completely wrong.</p><p> </p><p>The couple stopped arguing as soon as they realized what was happening.</p><p> </p><p>How could not the facts match?</p><p> </p><p>“Did they…did they always lie to us?” Baekhyun said, his voice barely a whisper among the downpour. “Our books always taught me about Ignis’ betrayal, they depicted us as the victims of this war…but why are you telling me the exact opposite?”</p><p> </p><p>“The man who basically raised me used to tell me everything about Nyalis’s history…but he always talked about Inlumino turning their back at us and destroying our reign” he explained. “But…he would never lie to me.”</p><p> </p><p>“This entire situation stinks” the smaller’s eyebrows were furrowed, while his finger laid under his chin. “There’s something fishy going on with this war. I wish I knew what, exactly...”</p><p> </p><p>Despite the confusion of the situation, the two had to leave their questions for a different time, because there was someone running towards the river. The two moved away, determined to not endanger anyone, hiding behind the nearest house.</p><p> </p><p>But then, the couple noticed who those two figures were.</p><p> </p><p>“My brothers” Baekhyun whispered, his expression breaking into the biggest and warmest smile. “Chanyeol, those are Yixing and Yeosang!”</p><p> </p><p>He felt at peace knowing that his brothers were safe, alive and not imprisoned somewhere in the palace. They were there, running towards the river, breathing, standing on their feet and Baekhyun could not help but let his eyes water at the sight. He felt Chanyeol gently hugging him from the back, laying his cheek on the top of the smaller’s head. </p><p> </p><p>“I missed them so much” Baekhyun confessed, leaning on Chanyeol even more. “I was so scared that something had happened to—ˮ</p><p> </p><p>But those last words got stuck in his throat.</p><p> </p><p>Yeosang was crying, his arms full of bleeding cuts.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun felt the air getting sucked out of his lungs, as if a demon had just tried to devour his entire chest to feast with his blood. Yixing was trying to hold him on his feet, but Yeosang collapsed to the ground, right before the river. His hair was dishevelled, completely messed up, while his clothes looked torn and dirty. But what destroyed Baekhyun the most, were Yeosang’s blue eyes: broken, shattered, lost, lightless.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was still holding him, even tighter than before, as if he was scared Baekhyun would suddenly escape from his arms.</p><p> </p><p>“What happened...what happened to him?” Baekhyun’s voice sounded like a painful cry, completely devastated by the amount of tears falling from his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>The limpid water of the river was tinted with red, as Yixing tried to wash the blood away from Yeosang’s cuts. Baekhyun could not stand that view. The pain in his heart was piercing, invading his entire body and devouring his flesh. Every tear that descended along his face felt like a match burning his skin, slacing his traits open. He knew way too well what those wounds were, but a part of his brain was screaming at him, telling him that it could not be. It could not be, because the one bleeding was his little brother, his Yeosang, the beautiful creature he had cradled in his arms a few moments after his birth.</p><p> </p><p>He refused to accept it.</p><p> </p><p>“Baekhyun, please, calm down” Chanyeol whispered, but his lover’s desperation just could not be stopped. His tears flowed as copiously as Yeosang’s blood.</p><p> </p><p>“Those cuts...I know what those cuts are. But...it can’t be. Not him, please. Not my Yeosang” he tried to say “I have to know what happened, Chanyeol. I have to—”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun closed his eyes and, while the rain kept falling, he entered his older brother’s mind.</p><p> </p><p>At first, he was surrounded by a deep darkness but, with just a snap of his fingers, a few flickering lights appeared and suddenly morphed into Yixing’s memories. He moved skilfully among them, navigating through the images of his brother’s past and finally, the one he needed appeared. It was a small, white light, one that almost looked like a star.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun swallowed before allowing the memory to unfold in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>At first, Baekhyun could only see the pages of a book. Yixing was reading a medical magic manuscript, laying on his bed as the sun shone brightly outside the near window. But then, everything shifted. Someone was screaming. It was a prayer, a pleading, someone crying for help. Baekhyun soon realized that it was Yeosang’s pained voice. Yixing catapulted himself out of his bed, dragging the white sheets with him and falling to the floor, but standing up to run toward the voice only a second after. Baekhyun could see the corridors of the royal palace, the one he and his brothers used as a playground when they were only kids.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, Yixing was in front of a door.</p><p> </p><p>The door to a chamber he knew way to well.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Look, Yeosang-ie. Your brother is here to attend the show...”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>It was the king, talking with a satisfied tone, his eyes mirroring the ones of a complete sadist as his smile terrifyingly widened. And Yeosang was there. He was there, almost choking on his own tears while a leather belt kept his mouth shut. He was naked, laid on the bed as a feast waiting to be devoured.</p><p> </p><p><em>“What’s with that scared look, Yixing?”</em> the king said again. <em>“We were just having some fun!”</em></p><p> </p><p>He was holding another belt, one that fit way too well with the cuts scattered all over Yeosang’s body.</p><p> </p><p>That was the last thing Baekhyun saw before Chanyeol brought him back.</p><p> </p><p>"Baekhyun!" it was Chanyeol’s voice. "Baekhyun, stop!"</p><p> </p><p>“H—he used him” the smaller whispered, collapsing on Chanyeol’s body, holding onto his wet clothes. “H-he used him, m—my Yeosang...”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun’s soul felt like abandoning itself to the darkness, letting itself fall, fall deeper, until shadows would ravage it. His heart was being annihilated, drowned into the pain that seemed to be morphing to a pitch black liquid. He was breathless, trying so hard to stay afloat, but his tormens kept dragging him down, suffocating him. Chanyeol kept holding him, whispering words of love into his ears but, somehow, they could not reach him. He was shattered, abandoned into a never ending void.</p><p> </p><p>It had always been his biggest fear. Baekhyun prayed every night, asking the stars to never let Yeosang encounter his same destiny. He would have endured all that pain, those disgusting words, the revolting stares, if it meant keeping his brother away from all that pain.</p><p> </p><p>But now, his biggest nightmare was manifesting itself right in front of his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun could not even be there for him. He could not run to his brother and cradle him into his arms, just like he did whenever the sky started to cry and thunders tore it apart. He could just watch, watch his brother breaking and shattering under the downpour.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Baekhyun.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Someone whispered to his mind again, but it was not Chanyeol.</p><p> </p><p>It was Yixing.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Baekhyun, look at me.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>And he did.</p><p> </p><p>His brother never raised his head, but Baekhyun could see his eyes staring directly at his direction.</p><p> </p><p><em>“I’ll take him away”</em> he said. “<em>I promise I’ll take him away. But don’t let yourself go once again.”</em></p><p> </p><p><em>“Protect him, Yixing” </em>Baekhyun pleaded. <em>“Please protect him.”</em></p><p> </p><p><em>“I will. I promise I will”</em> the other replied, still holding their brother. <em>“But you have to promise that you’ll come back to us. Promise me, Baekhyun.”</em></p><p> </p><p>He could only nod, unable to formulate words even inside his mind.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Thank that boy for me”</em> Yixing was slightly smiling, shifting his gaze towards Chanyeol for a few seconds.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Let him heal you, Baekhyun. You deserve to be healed.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun nodded again, sealing that promise.</p><p> </p><p>But Chanyeol heard it all.</p><p> </p><p>He saw the pain and despair, but he also had to see all the memories those images brought back. Right there, Chanyeol realized that Baekhyun’s soul was shattered beyond repair.</p><p> </p><p>Bleeding wounds may heal, but they will always leave permanent scars behind.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>That night, Baekhyun cried himself to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>The two left Inlumino as soon as the sun rose, running towards the surrounding forests, where Baekhyun’s eyes stared into the void for an entire day. His mind was tormented by a storm, it was clouded, dipped in darkness. Chanyeol could see it. Every time he tried to touch the smaller, his skin shivered, as if he was trying to flinch away from his fingers.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol knew his love was not enough.</p><p> </p><p>It was not enough to erase those nightmares, because the light of his love might illuminate the void, but it could not win against that somber twilight.</p><p> </p><p><em>He</em> was not enough.</p><p> </p><p>The tall boy spent the night looking at a sleepless Baekhyun, too shy and terrified to even reach for his hands.</p><p> </p><p>But when Baekhyun crawled into his arms as soon as the night swallowed the sun again, something in his heart changed. He felt the smaller’s body relax against his chest, snuggling inside his embrace, finally finding the courage to fall asleep while one last tear ran down towards his mouth. Chanyeol could not help but to draw him impossibly closer, hiding his face in the crook of his neck, kissing his head.</p><p> </p><p>If his love was not enough to heal those scars, then he would kiss them until they could nott hurt Baekhyun anymore. Those scars would be there but, he was sure he could have promised a different kind of forever to his soulmate. One where they lived together in a small house near the shores and kissed under the moonlight, somewhere so far away that those demons would not be able to find them anymore. A forever without fears, a place where the sounds of a raging war could not be heard, where love was the force that ruled the universe. A forever where they could grow old together, with the only company of their brothers, until the pages of their story would come to an end.</p><p> </p><p>So, as the night grew deeper, Chanyeol swore to the moon he would fight for that special forever.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p>BOOK V</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Of Moonstones and Promises</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Almost a month had passed since the quest started.</p><p> </p><p>None of the chosen boys had found the treasure, yet.</p><p> </p><p>They did not even know who and if the others were still alive.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s adventure throughout the entirety of Nyalis continued with their hands intertwined, as they fought monsters together. Teal ones but, most of all, those who hid in their minds. They would sit every night under the moon rays, hidden in the never ending forests that surrounded Inlumino, sharing kisses, touches and words of love. Hours were spent cleaning each other’s bleeding wounds, while those loving stares they reserved for one another helped healing the scars of their souls. </p><p> </p><p>During one of those nights, confessions had been whispered in the silence for the first time.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I think I’m in love with you”</em> Baekhyun said and Chanyeol could just smile with blushing cheeks, stuttering.</p><p> </p><p><em>“I t-think I’m in love with you, too”</em>.</p><p> </p><p>While they walked towards the end of the Nitens Forest, Chanyeol admired the way Baekhyun’s eyes shone in a new found determination. He wanted to win that quest for himself but, most of all, to give his brothers a future. Even if nightmares still tormented him throughout his sleep, Chanyeol was there to hold him.</p><p> </p><p>Overcoming the dense blanket of trees, Tronitus’ purple lights could be seen in the distance. The two were sure that it was still early in the morning but, somehow, a starless sky overhang the city. The buildings were tall and shaped like elongated rectangles, made of a shiny, black material that reflected all the lights that surrounded them. Elevated bridges ran all around the city, making their way among the numerous constructions, while oval shaped cabins flew around. Colourful lights and illuminated signs were scattered all around, reflecting on the dark concrete of the streets. Tronitus was not kept alive by magic, rather by what they called technology, the only kind of sorcery that had been crafted by humans rather than the universe.</p><p> </p><p>“Why is it suddenly night again?” Chanyeol asked. "And why are there no stars? This sky doesn’t even look real..."</p><p> </p><p>“Because it isn’t" Baekhyun replied. “The sun never shines here in Tronitus and the sky you see is just an illusion. There’s some sort of enormous dome that surmounts the entire city, made by thousands and thousands of technological machines they call <em>screens</em>. They’re able to project everything they want through those, every kind of image you can think of.”</p><p> </p><p>“Who in their right mind would chose to never see the sun? We would pay to be able to look at it shining on Ignis just one more time...”</p><p> </p><p>“This reign is famous for its colored lights, you wouldn’t be able to see them in the morning” he said, smiling. “Tronitus people are just...a little peculiar, I would say.”</p><p> </p><p>“Like Jongdae”</p><p> </p><p>“Peculiar isn’t exactly the word I’d use to describe him. <em>Asshole</em> fits him better.”</p><p> </p><p>They both laughed out loud but, as they learned throughout the quest, sometimes happy moments could not last. As soon as they reached the dark concrete, a loud scream could be heard. The same exact thing that happened before they found Junmyeon’s corpse. The two exchanged a glance, before running towards the direction of the voice. It took them a while to find him, because the streets of Tronitus looked endless and always the same but, somehow, they ended up in a dark alley.</p><p> </p><p>But what was in there was not what they expected.</p><p> </p><p>Or better, <em>who</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Oh Sehun was standing there with a knife in his hand and, at his feet, the lifeless body of Do Kyungsoo laid on the concrete.</p><p> </p><p>He slowly turned around, staring at the two, but Chanyeol was fast to evocate his fire and attack him, launching himself to the other. Sehun was strong, just as they expected, fighting Chanyeol easily and pushing him to the ground with just his elbow. Baekhyun tried to attack him too, using his lights in the attempt to protect Chanyeol, but Sehun was way too rapid, avoiding his shots easily.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun, though, was just as fast and clever.</p><p> </p><p>Using his powers to distract Sehun, Baekhyun proceeded to attack him using his body, managing to block him to the ground with his leg and pushing him harder towards the concrete with one foot.</p><p> </p><p>“Touch him one more time and I’ll slice your neck open with your own knife” he said, a serious and scary expression on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“I knew I shouldn’t underestimate you, Byun Baekhyun” Sehun confessed, his ribcage hurting because of how strongly Baekhyun was pushing him to the ground. “You could be invincible…too bad you have one weakness.”</p><p> </p><p>Everything happened way too fast and, before Baekhyun could even realize, three knifes were floating in the hair, aiming at Chanyeol’s neck.</p><p> </p><p>“Chanyeol!” He screamed, loosening his grip on Sehun’s body and giving him enough time to take advantage of his distraction. The boy from Euros dragged him from his leg, pushing him to the ground with all the strength he had left and managing to escape, standing up and disappearing in the darkness of Tronitus’streets.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as he left, the knifes fell to the ground and Chanyeol ran toward Baekhyun, launching himself to the ground next to him. He looked at his entire body, checking for major injuries but, thankfully, the boy only hurt his knee. The skin looked slightly lacerated and leaking blood but Chanyeol was positive that the cut was not too deep.</p><p> </p><p>“That bastard” Chanyeol murmured under this breath, tearing the fabric of his shirt apart and bandaging Baekhyun’s wound with it, just like the other did that day in Terrestrium’s forest. “I was so sure Kyungsoo was the one who attacked me in the forest, but it was him, Oh Sehun. I should have known, <em>damn</em>, I should have known. Kyungsoo used poisoned knives, the dagger that hit me looked exactly like these ones.”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun coul not help but to slightly smile at Chanyeol’s nervous mumbling.</p><p> </p><p>“And what the hell was that?” He wondered again. “Is he able to use magic, too?”</p><p> </p><p>“That wasn’t magic, Chanyeol. He’s gifted, just like us” Baekhyun replied, taking Chanyeol’s hand in his. “He used air. He’s able to bend the winds to his will, that’s how he threw those daggers at you and probably how he managed to hit you without you even noticing him in Terrestrium’s forest.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you…do you think he’s the one who killed Junmyeon, too?” Chanyeol’s eyes darkened as he glanced at Kyungsoo’s lifeless body. Fresh, red blood was still coming out of his body, disappearing on the dark concrete of Tronitus’s streets. Chanyeol stood up, walking towards Kyungsoo and crouching down next to him. With two of his fingers, he closed the boy’s eyes forever.</p><p> </p><p>It was still hard for Chanyeol, Baekhyun could read it in his mind.</p><p> </p><p>The image of Junmyeon’s body never left his memories, coming back whenever the night felt a little bit too dark, when even the moon could not shine enough behind the thick grey clouds.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun realized that Chanyeol was not made for a war. He was too pure, gentle, selfless to even stand the sight of someone else’s life being taken away. Now, another body was gonna hunt his sleep. The smaller dragged his body until he was close enough to hold Chanyeol from his side, removing one strand of black hair from the side of his forehead, tucking it behind his elfish ear. Baekhyun gently kissed his cheek before removing the jacket Chanyeol gave him from his shoulders, only to lay it down on Kyungsoo’s body, covering it.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re gonna get cold, Baekhyun” Chanyeol whispered, his eyes already wet, but Baekhyun just shook his head.</p><p> </p><p>“He needs it more than I do” he said, smiling softly. “I hope he won’t be too cold, up there.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol just laid his head on Baekhyun’s shoulders, his expression turning into a gentle, but pained smile, while one tear wet his lips.</p><p> </p><p>“Have a safe journey toward the clouds, Kyungsoo. You’re finally <em>free.</em>”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Tronitus’s simulated night grew deeper as Chanyeol and Baekhyun walked around the now deserted streets. The colourful lights reflecting on their figures and the distant sounds of machines resonating throughout the entire city made the scenery look so different from everything they had ever witnessed before.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was carrying Baekhyun on his back, holding him securely from his legs while he laid his head on the taller’s broad shoulder. Luckily, his wound had stopped bleeding but the knee was still too swollen and painful for him to walk properly. Baekhyun jokingly called Chanyeol "his knight in shining armor" and the way his cheeks suddenly turned red was certainly a sight to behold. The smaller kept peppering his neck with delicate, playful kisses, just to make him laugh at the tickling sensation.</p><p> </p><p>“Your hair grew a lot” Baekhyun murmured, caressing Chanyeol’s nape.</p><p> </p><p>“You know, you look really hot when your hair is messy like this.”</p><p> </p><p>Oh, the way he enjoyed it.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun perfectly knew the effect his words had on Chanyeol but he just could not help it. He loved the way in which his entire face and the point of his ears suddenly blushed, while he kept trying to find the right words to say.</p><p> </p><p>“It makes me want to kiss y—ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“Oh <em>Gods</em>, tell me I didn’t just hear that!”</p><p> </p><p>Everything was silent but, all of a sudden, a voice startled the pair.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Jongdae?</em>” Chanyeol asked, turning around.</p><p> </p><p>And there, in the middle of the street, stood Kim Jongdae — still dressed in all black and purple, munching on a colored candy, while the sides of his feline lips moved upwards. He walked towards them, faintly giggling and throwing the rest of the candy inside his mouth, only to look at the two afterwards.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, don’t tell me...you giant oaf!” he said playfully. “You snatched the pretty boy for yourself?”</p><p> </p><p>“I-I didn’t...snatch him” Chanyeol corrected him, still annoyed at the way he kept talking about Baekhyun.</p><p> </p><p>“We just...fell for each other.”</p><p> </p><p>“Aish, I feel like my teeth will cariate soon and it won’t be this candy’s fault...” Jongdae dramatically sighed. “So what? Does this mean you’re allies now? You realized pretty boy would have died as soon as he stepped his delicate, prince-like feet inside Terrestrium’s forest?”</p><p> </p><p>“Call me pretty boy one more time and I’ll make sure to break your back in half by moving a finger.ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“Rawr, aggressiveˮ Jongdae never seemed to take anything seriously. Every single one of his words was always accompanied by a little, almost mocking laugh. “To think that I was about to be compassionate and offer you a place to stay and some warm food for the night... Pretty boy could also use some medication, that knee looks terribly bad, but well, I see you don’t want my help—ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, you’re right, we don’t need—ˮ Baekhyun tried to say, but Chanyeol immediately stopped him, huge and pleading eyes staring at the wounded boy.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you very much, Jongdae” Chanyeol talked instead and Baekhyun shyly hid his face on the crook of the taller’s neck. “We will gladly accept your help.”</p><p> </p><p>“Follow me, then” Jongdae walked past the two, tucking both of his hands inside the pockets of the jacket he was wearing. “I used to live in a small apartment on my own and, as far as I know, no one else moved there after I left for the quest. I think I might have some canned food and a few medicines...and you could use some new clothes too, <em>jeez</em>, where the <em>flickery</em> <em>heck</em> have you two been? Inside a Gryphon’s cage? You look terrible!”</p><p> </p><p>Jongdae never stopped his rambling, not even when they walked around the dark, side alleys of Tronitus’ main city. Sometimes, he would also skip between his steps, like a little kid venturing around for the first time. He even told them about Tronitus’ newest inventions, a candy that never lost its cherry flavor and a special machine that allowed little animals to fly. Even when the couple lost themselves in the small world they shared, Jongdae kept going on, guiding them towards his house while remembering that one time he almost lost his entire hand to the high voltage of the computer he was trying to build.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Aaand</em> this is the story of how I almost choked myself with an electric wire!” he said, stopping in front of a slightly small building and turning on his heels. “Welcome to my modest dwelling, my dear <em>cooing boobries</em>! The apartment I lived in is just a flight of stairs away! Come, come!”</p><p> </p><p>The building looked dusty, symptom of it being empty for way too long. There was more than just one door, every single one being indicated by a different number written on a metallic plate, but it seemed like no one else lived in there. Jongdae took something that looked like a card out of his pockets, sliding it at the side of the dark door and unlocking it with a sly smile plastered on his muzzle.</p><p> </p><p>“May the Gods bless my genius mind! I managed to take the key with me before those assholes kidnapped me” he said, showing them the card between two of his fingers.</p><p> </p><p>The apartment was big enough to welcome a small kitchen, a table with a few chairs and a big sofa right in the middle, while loads of electronic devices and materials laid all around the house. Chanyeol immediately stormed inside, walking towards the big, black couch and gently laying Baekhyun down, making sure to not hurt his wounded leg in the process. The boy mouthed a soft <em>“thank you”</em> as he stared at Chanyeol with eyes full of love and gratitude, pressing his mouth to the other’s for a soft peck.</p><p> </p><p>“That was absolutely disgusting to witness” Jongdae said once again, crossing his arms in front of his chest and gaining a grim glare from Baekhyun.</p><p> </p><p>“Give me that medication and shut up, Jongdaeˮ Baekhyun said, not even bothering to turn around and look at the seemingly feline boy.</p><p> </p><p>Jongdae only replied with an amused giggle, rummaging inside the cabinet right above the sink and handing a square looking object to Chanyeol.</p><p> </p><p>“Spray it on the wound, wait a few seconds for it to be completely dry and <em>poof</em>! Pretty boy will be all fine again by tomorrow morning” he explained. “You’re lucky I was able to steal some of these from a laboratory. This is one of the latest medicines produced here, it can cure every kind of wound in the span of a few hours! No need for magical herbs and all that crap, even better than magic!”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, Jongdae” Chanyeol always replied with his kind, deep voice. Baekhyun could have listened to him for hours and hours, but the fact that his gentle tone was addressed to Jongdae was making him want to strangle the Tronitus boy with his bare hands.</p><p> </p><p>“How did you even hurt yourself like that?” Jongdae asked, walking closer to the two as Chanyeol removed the improvised bandage he wrapped around Baekhyun’s knee.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh Sehun” Chanyeol replied, while Baekhyun was trying to endure the pain his touches were causing him.</p><p> </p><p>“We heard someone screaming in the silence, so we tried to follow that voice, hoping to be able to save that person but...the next thing we saw was Kyungsoo’s lifeless body lying on the ground ...Oh Sehun was standing there, holding a knife in his hand, right next to the corpse.”</p><p> </p><p>Jongdae turned away for a few seconds, before facing them again with a pensive expression on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Aish</em>, so my assumptions were right!”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?” the two both looked at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Since the quest started, dead civilians have been found all around Nyalis. First on Terrestrium, then Glaciem, Aequor, Inlumino...and now, Tronitus” Jongdae kept walking around the house, arms crossed “All the victims had been stabbed to death with a switchblade dagger, right in the middle of their chest. To be exact, to this day we can count thirty seven murders and among all those fatalities, there are also three of the participants of the quest: Kim Junmyeon from Aequor, Kim Minseok from Glaciem and, now, Do Kyungsoo from Terrestrium.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thirty...thirty seven victims—ˮ Chanyeol was suddenly out of breath. He abandoned himself to the ground, slowly losing all the strength left in his body. His big, serene eyes were lost in the void once again, morphing into shattered fragments of a black tinted glass. Baekhyun hardly moved to the floor, dragging his wounded leg and nearing his lover, only to hold him to his chest.</p><p> </p><p>“We were on Glaciem when Junmyeon was killed” Baekhyun said, slowly stroking Chanyeol’s hair. “We tried to find him before it was too late but...we couldn’t do anything. He was dead.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why...why is he doing that?” the tall boy tried to say, breathing heavily as copious tears started falling from his eyes. “Why would he...why would he kill all those innocent people?”</p><p> </p><p>“The victims were mostly merchants, farmers, armorers. He probably killed them to steal some food, a few knives, maybe a sword or some more advanced weapons, like guns or rifles” Jongdae reasoned, holding his chin between his thumb and index. “And it’s no mystery why he killed Junmyeon, Kyungsoo and Minseok. He wants to make sure none of us will interfere with his journey. He’s probably thinking about eliminating all of us before we can even become a threat to his victory.”</p><p> </p><p>“He also tried to kill Chanyeol on Terrestrium. I found him in the middle of the forest with a dagger on his leg...ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“A very well trained assassin, uh?” Jongdae stopped in front of a bigger cupboard, right in front of the big couch. He opened it, grabbing the first clothes he found inside and throwing them at the couple still sitting on the floor. "And you? You’ve been allies for a long time, I suppose?ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“We’re not just…<em>allies</em>" Chanyeol said, strain of tears still scratching his face. His hands were fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, removing it with still trembling fingers until his tattoo was free to be seen.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Chanyeol?” the feline smile of the boy suddenly changed, turning downwards. “Shouldn’t your mark be a dragon?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh” he delicately touched the ermine on his arm. Instantly, Chanyeol reminisced those moments when darkness ate him alive in the silence of his old room, while that pocket knife weighted so much in his hands. He thought about killing himself many, maybe countless times, but nothing was comparable to the amount of hours he spent just sitting on the old, wooden axes of the floor, hoping to find the courage to remove that piece of skin that made him feel so miserable. But now, looking at that mark was something he loved to do. Every night he would trace the delicate curves of the animal, before looking at Baekhyun sleeping right next to him. It was not mistake, nor a disgrace or a sin. It was the mark of love in its purest and most magical form. "I was born with an ermine instead, while Baekhyun has a dragon tattooed on his back."</p><p> </p><p>Jongdae suddenly turned around — his eyes were wide, visibly surprised, while his body completely stopped moving.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Soulmate marks?”</em> he asked, almost whispering.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, now could you please give us some privacy?” Baekhyun said harshly, eyeing the door and covering Chanyeol’s bare chest with the black shirt Jongdae just gave them.</p><p> </p><p>The boy walked outside without uttering any more words, slamming the door and leaving only silence behind him. Baekhyun faced Chanyeol again, his expression changing completely.</p><p> </p><p>“I was getting tired of all that blubbering” he whispered, slightly giggling.</p><p> </p><p>“So…we are really soulmates?” Chanyeol asked. He looked so vulnerable in that moment, staring at Baekhyun with his big, still teary eyes. Sometimes it was hard to believe that Chanyeol was a tall, strong young man. He was so innocent, kind and lost in a world that looked way too big for him.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, we are” Baekhyun replied, smiling as he gently caressed Chanyeol’s cheek.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad it’s you, then” Chanyeol was smiling, as if at least a portion of his heart was finally at peace, lulled by the warmth of the love they shared.</p><p> </p><p>The taller helped Baekhyun remove his almost destroyed shirt, sliding his hands along the other’s slander body. Baekhyun’s skin had been kissed by the midsummer’s sun throughout their journey, shining in a golden hue that seemed sacred, so precious that Chanyeol was almost afraid to get too close. Baekhyun was staring at him, as Chanyeol’s hands ended up resting on his naked waist. The smaller admired the way his love’s raven hair had grown, falling messily on his forehead and framing his beautiful face like the most precious of paintings.</p><p> </p><p>Their hearts were beating fast, running in unison, rejoicing in that same dazzling sensation.</p><p> </p><p>Stars were born in the sky they shared, exploding and dying as the hunger of being closer and closer devoured them both. Their flesh itched, stung, praying them to venture their hands ever further, caressing every inch, every curve, every flaw.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol moved his fingers upwards, reaching for Baekhyun’s back, right where hundreds of scars rested, tracing them like the brushstrokes of a painting the nature itself had carefully created. Baekhyun was ashamed, his head lowering towards the ground, but Chanyeol held it, making him look at his face again. The taller grabbed his lover’s wrist, guiding Baekhyun’s hand toward his own back. Chanyeol had scars too. They were deep, engraved on his skin as a memento of his parents’ disgust, right where his father used to scourge him with his leather whip.</p><p> </p><p>Their past may have always haunted them, trying to tear their souls apart, shattering them into fragments of a wrecked mirror, but their love was there to cure those wounds, to gather the crushed pieces together. Baekhyun held Chanyeol’s face, getting closer and closer, until their lips touched. They were eager, dehydrated, their bodies feeling like oasis in the middle of an endless desert. Hands wandered to unknown places, mapping each other’s skin like a new world to discover. The kiss was sweet, slow, fueled by that devastating passion that was enslaving their beating hearts.</p><p> </p><p>Breaking that kiss felt painful, almost impossible, but the knocking sound at the door made them realize that something existed outside the little world they shared. Baekhyun scoffed, cursing Jongdae under his breath and throwing the black shirt on, while Chanyeol softly giggled.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay you <em>smooching jackalopes</em>! I’ve had enough of all this cheesy cheese, it’s time to eat!” Jongdae stormed inside, holding three loafs of bread and a jar of cream under his arm.</p><p> </p><p>The rest of the night was spent in tranquillity as the three boys munched on their slices of tasty bread. They ate on the floor, right near the window, where they could see the blinding lights of Tronitus shining in the dark.</p><p> </p><p>“So, pretty boy, tell me” Jongdae talked again, while Chanyeol was busy collecting their plates. “You’re gifted, aren’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>“I am” Baekhyun replied with a sharp tone. “And I also mastered my magic so you better beware.”</p><p> </p><p>“Interesting” he said, before turning toward Chanyeol. “And you, giant oaf? How did you stay alive this entire time?”</p><p> </p><p>“I learned how to fight when I was young. Things weren’t easy back on Ignis and I had to protect my younger brother” a pause. “I also discovered that I’m a gifted too. My powers decided to manifestate themselves when Kyungsoo attacked us on Terrestrium.”</p><p> </p><p>“Even more interesting” Jongdae whispered while rubbing his black coat and throwing it on his shoulders. “You two <em>chirping lidrecs</em> might want some alone time tonight so I’ll just retire myself in my old bedroom. We’ll leave as soon as we can tomorrow, I don’t want to die with Oh Sehun’s dagger stuck in my chest, thank you very much.”</p><p> </p><p>The boy curved his feline mouth upwards, before disappearing behind one of the two doors inside the apartment with an over excited <em>“good night!”</em> directed to the pair of lovers.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun glanced at each other, questioning looks plastered on both of their faces. The taller stood up then, placing his arms on Baekhyun’s back and lifting his wounded body from the ground, only to gently lay him back on the couch. Chanyeol also made sure to arrange two pillows in the comfiest way he could, placing them under Baekhyun’s head and tucking him inside the warm blanket Jongdae provided them with. He kissed Baekhyun’s forehead and sat there for a while, his arm resting on the couch as he sat on the floor, while his free hand caressed Baekhyun’s hair until he fell asleep and soft snores could be heard. Chanyeol conceded himself a few more minutes to just admire Baekhyun’s sleeping form, finding comfort and peace in seeing the way his lover’s chest slowly rose as he breathed. Then, he laid on the floor, covering himself with the other blanket and falling asleep at the sound of Baekhyun’s breathing.</p><p> </p><p>He did not realize how, hours later, Baekhyun had moved to the floor too, hugging him from behind, abandoning himself to Morpheus’ arms again.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Eventually, morning came again, even if the sun never shone on Tronitus’ artificial sky.</p><p> </p><p>Jongdae woke them up a few hours after they finally fell asleep, finding them on the floor, all cuddled up against each other while sharing a single blanket. They all dressed up, trying to fix their unkept and messy hair the best way they could and Baekhyun could not help but notice the way Chanyeol stared at him while he wore the black jacket Jongdae gave them. A faint blush appeared on his face and ears as he looked at Baekhyun from head to toe, evidently appreciating the way those clothes hugged his body and how much they contrasted with the whiteness of his hair and skin. Baekhyun, on his part, was not absolutely immune to the charm Chanyeol radiated while dressed in all black, his raven hair slightly swept back.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun’s leg had healed completely and Chanyeol sighed in relief as soon as he realized that the smaller could normally walk. He smiled at his lover as they reached the end of Tronitus capital city, after Jongdae waved at them, deciding to proceed on his own. Everything seemed to be in place, as an aurea of peace surrounded them.</p><p> </p><p>But, there was something troubling Baekhyun’s mind.</p><p> </p><p>Something had happened during the first hours of that morning, when Baekhyun woke up to get some water. On his way to the kitchen, something caught his eyes. It was a mirror, one that looked so out of place in that small, dusty apartment. Baekhyun was sure it had not been there before that moment. The boy slowly walked closer, looking at his reflection for the first time in months. He noticed how his had grown hair grew as much as Chanyeol’s, how there were more small scars on his face and arms and how thin he looked compared to the way his body looked before.</p><p> </p><p>And suddenly, the reflection changed.</p><p> </p><p>It was morphing, transforming into something else. Someone was smiling at him from the other side of the mirror. It was still him but his eyes were completely different, red as rubies, and shining in an evil hue. His smile was terrifying, so similar to the ones men used to direct at him. He looked like a demon, a beast looking for fresh blood to satisfy its anger.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as the boy appeared, he also dissipated into the darkness.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun slapped himself, trying tounderstand what he had just seen, but everything felt like a dream.</p><p> </p><p>Or better, a <em>nightmare</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Once Chanyeol smiled at him again, holding his hand, Baekhyun just shrugged it off.</p><p> </p><p>He had probably imagined it all, right?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Welcome to my home, Baekhyun.”</p><p> </p><p>Ignis was beautiful.</p><p> </p><p>In the distance, the city resplended in a red candor — the warmth of all the lanterns illuminating its perennial night. Every building was made out of dark wood and the sea flowed calmly, reflecting the scorching fire of the dragons’ reign, supporting hundreds of old galleons. Baekhyun couldn’t help but notice the way some sparkles elevated themselves to the sky, looking like thousands of fireflies enchanting the magical scene. For sure, Ignis looked poor and some of the buildings and wooden bridges were slowly deteriorating, but there was quite an antique charm hidden in those old ruins.</p><p> </p><p>“I never thought Ignis would be so fascinating” Baekhyun said, entranced by the city. “Back at home, they used to describe it as some sort of barbaric place, with old pirates running around the streets and setting buildings on fire.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ignis used to be a pirate city, but they were pretty good lads” Chanyeol giggled happily, reminiscing those old days he spent admiring the beautiful galleons sailing the ocean. “Well, some of them might have been a bit rude, but the only thing they did was getting drunk at the nearest inn and flirt with women...and most of them only received a punch back. I used to dream about being one of them, when I was young.”</p><p> </p><p>“To flirt with women?” the smaller asked with an amused tone hidden in his voice. “I’m sure you would have been an heartbreaker...”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh no, I wasn’t interested at all" he replied back, laughing out loud. "I dreamed of sealing away with them, to feel free and live in the middle of the sea while swinging on an old hammock inside my cabin, with the sound of the waves gently flowing outside.”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun found it hard to stop himself from imagining Chanyeol dressed in a pirate attire, with high, leather boots, a few braids in his hair and a slightly undone white shirt.</p><p> </p><p>“You would have looked sexy as a pirate, I’m almost sad you didn’t realize your childhood dream...”</p><p> </p><p>“I imagine you as a beautiful prince!” Chanyeol said, fighting his embarrassment. “The prince of a distant land, m—maybe an island lost in the middle of the sea. I w—would have taken you away and we would have travelled on my enormous galleon throughout the entirety of Nyalis, together.”</p><p> </p><p>It felt peaceful and reassuring to dream about their future together, whispering under the stars as Chanyeol’s hand led him to the shore, where a beautiful sea moved serenely under the moonlight. They were walking hand in hand while the silence enveloped the entire city like a warm veil and only the distant roars of dragons could be heard.</p><p> </p><p>“You see me as a prince?”</p><p> </p><p>“You look like one” Chanyeol replied, crouching down to grab a small, white flower growing among the sand and fitting its stem inside Baekhyun’s hair. “Here. A beautiful prince.”</p><p> </p><p>“Imagine us becoming kings, instead” Baekhyun was looking at his lover with eyes full of hope. “Us, the kings of Nyalis, ruling over a world finally at peace.”</p><p> </p><p>“We would travel the whole world together, maybe on a beautiful flying ship. We could soar through the clouds and see the sky from up close.”</p><p> </p><p>“I would very much like that” Baekhyun neared Chanyeol even more, pressing the point of his nose on the other’s as he lovingly caressed his cheeks. “But even if we end up living in a small house made out of rotten wood, with nothing but one another...I’d still choose to spend my life with you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Promise me that...that we will both come out of this quest alive” Chanyeol whispered. “I don’t care who will win between us...I just want to live and I want to do it with you.”</p><p> </p><p>“I promise you” Baekhyun whispered back. “Promise me too, Chanyeol.”</p><p> </p><p>“I promise.”</p><p> </p><p>As those sweet words left their mouths, a roar came from the sky above. The beating of a pair of wings resonated loudly in the silence, moving the sand all around them as a shadow covered the stars.</p><p> </p><p>The two looked up and, immediately, Chanyeol understood.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Flamma.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol ran along the beach, moving his arms in the air while calling for the best friend he had ever had — his first love, the dragon he breeded like his own child. Flamma glided on the wet sand, rapidly moving her claws until she finally reached Chanyeol, roaring with all the happiness she was hiding inside her heart. The boy laid his forehead on the dragon’s head, caressing her scaly skin and smiling, smiling so wide, until a few tears left his eyes to freely run down his face.</p><p> </p><p>“I missed you so much, Flamma” Chanyeol whispered and his trusted companion replied in her own way. “I was so scared they took you away too.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol noticed how Baekhyun was keeping himself distant, refusing to move from his spot on the beach, completely petrified.</p><p> </p><p>“Baekhyun! I want to introduce you to my best friend!”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun had always been scared of dragons. They reminded him of the darkest of all days, when death took his parents away. He still vividly remembered the way Ignis’ dragons roared in the skies, carrying with them the dark odor of fear, death and devastation.</p><p> </p><p>“Baekhyun?”</p><p> </p><p>“I-I don’t think I can, Chanyeol” he stuttered, retreating himself even more. “I-I’m scared...I’m scared of dragons”</p><p> </p><p>“You cuddled with a kelpie in the middle of an enchanted lake full of marine monsters, fought all kinds of scary creatures during this quest and you’re scared of dragons?”</p><p> </p><p>“They…they remind me of the day my parents were killed” it was barely a whisper, but Chanyeol understood.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun was fighting those terrifying demons inside his mind, his lover could see it all. His head was full of different images overlapping and morphing into one, as harrowing screams destroyed the silence around them. There were dragons burning down everything they found on their way with their breathes of flames, roaring in the sky and glaring down to assassinate people with their enormous claws. Inlumino was reduced to ashes, its beautiful white buildings fuming as the fire devoured them and pieces of their walls fell to the ground. People were screaming, running away from the soldiers to save themselves but perishing under their swords.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol realized that even their past was intertwined.</p><p> </p><p>His own memories merged together with Baekhyun’s, as the last image he had of his parents took over both of his minds. Inlumino’s soldiers were slicing his people’s throats, as blood fell copiously from their bodies. The screams they heard in their minds were the same, just as painful, terrifying and excruciating, as Ignis fell under Inlumino’s magic.</p><p> </p><p>The war never asked. It took everything away, moving in the silence at first but transforming into a devastating storm just a second after. There is no enemy in a war, but just someone from the opposite side, fighting for the same ideals, with the same goals and fears, losing themselves to a destiny that had been decided for them. </p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol walked toward the other, stopping Flamma from following him with a gentle gesture of his hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Is that what you…what Ignis went through?” Baekhyun asked, grabbing his lover’s fingers as he nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“And I suppose that’s what Inlumino lived during those days” Chanyeol said back.</p><p> </p><p>“They kept telling me how Ignis betrayed us and destroyed our city, how they killed our citizens while soaring on their dragons…but we had never been just victims. We have always been executioners too...”</p><p> </p><p>“There isn’t just one victim and one executioner in a war. Both our reigns fought for the same reasons, they sacrificed their own people for greed and power, making them believe in ideals that were nothing but lies” Chanyeol gently pressed his forehead to Baekhyun’s, closing his eyes for a moment. “But we can avenge them, Baekhyun. We can win this quest together and show them the love and trust our reigns used to share.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re right” Baekhyun whispered, his eyes closing too. “Let’s win this thing, then.”</p><p> </p><p>“Will you trust me?” Chanyeol asked, moving away only to offer the palm of his hand to Baekhyun.</p><p> </p><p>The smaller nodded, following the other with small steps, staying behind his back as the dragon walked closer. Chanyeol laid one hand on Flamma’s head, stroking her skin gently as he turned around, smiling at his lover.</p><p> </p><p>“Baekhyun, this is Flamma” he said. “Flamma, this is Baekhyun.”</p><p> </p><p>The creature stood still, an unexpected kindness shining in her eyes, welcoming him to come closer, allowing him to touch her. Baekhyun slowly reached out for her head, laying his shaky hand on Flamma’s forehead as the dragon leaned into his touch. The boy smiled softly, delicately caressing her, even if still hesitantly, while Flamma let out a small, soft roar, appreciating the attention.</p><p> </p><p>“I thought…I thought dragons never allowed humans to touch them” Baekhyun said, almost out of breath.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was staring at the scene, smiling at the sight of the boy finally trusting his best friend.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Is this how looking at the love of your life feels like? </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“Dragons choose who’s worthy enough to tame them” Chanyeol replied. “They’re noble and proud creatures. If they decide that you’re deserving, it means that your heart is pure, that you’re honest, loyal and that you would never betray the trust they gifted you with. That’s why most breeders use violence on them and keep them trapped in chains, because they would never let themselves be dominated by anyone.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then you should believe in yourself more, Chanyeol” Baekhyun said, finally smiling at Flamma as she sweetly snuggled her muzzle against his chest. “Flamma chose you, didn’t she? She decided that you’re worthy and she believes in you. You should start doing that too.”</p><p> </p><p>“W-who says I don’t believe in myself?” Chanyeol was stuttering, diverting his gaze.</p><p> </p><p>“I can read your mind, Chanyeol. I can feel your hesitation everytime you fight and I know that you still feel like you’re not enough for me. You have to understand that there is so much gold hidden inside of you, while you’re still convinced that there’s nothing more than old ruins and rotten wood” and then, Baekhyun was the one who offered him his hand. “But now, will my prince show me his reign on the saddle of his majestic steed?”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was smiling as if Baekhyun held the key to every secret of the universe in his hands, as if he was able to make the sun and the moon appear in the sky. The taller grabbed his lover by his waist, accompanying him up Flamma’s back and helping him to sit on it, following him just a moment later.</p><p> </p><p>“Go, Flamma, go!”</p><p> </p><p>And just like that, the dragon spread her wings, dominating the winds and soaring high towards the sky. The stars looked so close from up there, so close that Baekhyun thought he could touch them, smiling at the clouds moving above them. Ignis’ red hue contrasted with the darkness that devoured it so many years ago, shining like fireflies in the night. Chanyeol and Baekhyun felt free, as if the world was finally theirs, as if they could own every single thing that stood under their feet and looked so infinitely small from that distance. The cold air was hitting their faces, making them feel cold, but they didn’t care, because the happiness they shared was enough to warm up their hearts. They passed above the calm sea, all the wooden bridges, the little bazaar Chanyeol loved so dearly, the enormous palace illuminated by thousands of torches. Baekhyun turned around, kissing Chanyeol passionately as Flamma flew over a beautiful galleon.</p><p> </p><p>“I want to make love to you, Chanyeol” he whispered, holding his face up close.</p><p> </p><p>“Are...you sure?”</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun just nodded and it was like the sun just started shining on Ignis again. It was there, in Baekhyun’s eyes, in the way he smiled, in those hands that delicately touched Chanyeol’s face.</p><p> </p><p>With Baekhyun’s hand enclosed in his, Chanyeol felt like he could actually rule the world.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol made Flamma glide down, right where his old house stood, greeting her with a sweet caress on the head. He offered his hand to Baekhyun again, guiding him to his house. Everything was still the same. The old pot where Yunho used to cook their lunch was still resting on the stove, waiting for its owner to come back like a trusted companion. Chanyeol smelled the scent of his home, still a mixture of old wood and that undeniable perfume of soap that permeated the curtains. He looked around, trying to find that jacket Yunho always left on the small couch — it was still there, just like everything else, as if their little world just stopped, waiting for Yunho to come back home. The only photography they had together was still hanged on the wall, right in front of the couch. Mr. Norfyr took it with an old camera during a cold day of December, four years before. Yunho was smiling so brightly, that signature expression he always had whenever he felt happiness overflowing from his body, with his eyes closed and his nose scrunched. The little noises he made when he was excited were playing inside his mind like a happy melody, as he reminisced all their memories together. Baekhyun was looking at him, smiling softly as he observed all those serene moments unfolding in his mind too, finding happiness in the love Chanyeol and his brother shared.</p><p> </p><p>“We’ll take him back home, Chanyeol” he whispered, taking his hand. “We will win this quest and save Yunho, Yeosang and Yixing. I can promise you that.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol turned around, a serene smile plastered on his face, and he placed his arms under Baekhyun’s bottom, holding him up. The taller carried his lover up the stairs to his room, opening the creaky door with his back, his eyes never leaving Baekhyun’s. He let him delicately fall on the squeaky bed, as the moonlight timidly shone through the curtains that danced in the breeze. Baekhyun moved, until his back touched the headboard above the bed, while Chanyeol positioned himself in front of him, between his legs.</p><p> </p><p>The taller noticed how nervous Baekhyun looked, just standing there among the undone white sheets, waiting for Chanyeol to move, to do something. He was breathing, but breathing way too heavily, almost gasping for air as his eyes locked with his lover’s. Chanyeol moved closer, holding Baekhyun’s cheek with the palm of his hand, but the smaller slightly flinched and lowered his head as soon as he realized.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun had always been strong but, sometimes, those demons came back to suck his blood, to drain him until they were satisfied, to feast on his fears, his past and insecurities.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol saw it all, inside his mind. Those nightmares were back, overlapping his face with the one of Inlumino’s king’s.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun was scared. The boy who looked invincible, the majestic prince of light who was able to bend the world to his will, was scared.</p><p> </p><p>The taller retreated his hand, moving away, but Baekhyun stopped him, catching his wrist.</p><p> </p><p>“I want this, Chanyeol” his voice was strained, weak, feeble. “I want <em>you.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you...are you sure?”</p><p> </p><p>“I trust you” and with that, Baekhyun kissed him, savouring his lips, starting slow, taking delight in that familiar taste. There was passion drenched in pain, love tinted with fear, need choked by hesitation. That kiss felt like the first and the last one at the same time, sweetness disguised as desperation, while their tongues chased each other’s.</p><p> </p><p>With the moon finally shining outside and the clouds slowly waltzing in the night sky, Baekhyun pulled him even closer, even if his limbs still trembled, fighting the monsters in his head. But for the first time, Baekhyun wasn’t fighting alone. Chanyeol was there, replacing the slaps with adoring touches, whispering sweet nothings to his ears and making those dirty voices die in the silence, treasuring every inch of his body.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was fighting too, trying to dissipate the dark mist of his past, finding solace in Baekhyun’s loving stares, in the way the point of his fingers traced the scars on his back. His lover was making him feel worthy.</p><p> </p><p>They lost themselves to that feeling, maddening completely, their minds tormented by the need of being closer, closer and closer, until their bodies entangled and merged into one.</p><p> </p><p>That night, with the moon watching and the rain hitting the dark streets of Ignis, the two lovers coalesced towards the stars. They became one, completing that whole that had been abridged for so many years.</p><p> </p><p>Soulmates, the light and the fire, found each other again and the universe just smiled.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I love you.ˮ</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The couple spent four days and three nights on Ignis, gathering food, a few weapons and medicines, while gaining back enough forces to continue with the quest. Eurus was the last reign left and no one had found the treasure yet, which meant that Sehun was probably out there, advantaged by the knowledge of his own reign. They needed to prepare themselves and rest as much as possible to be ready to fight the skilled assassin and get that treasure before he could.</p><p> </p><p>The plan was to leave the city during the night, to enter the last forest before Eurus and go unnoticed by Sehun in case he was still inside the fire’s reign. Chanyeol and Baekhyun filled their bags with all the necessities they gathered, getting ready to leave the house they lived in for those few days.</p><p> </p><p>They made love during all those nights.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as the sun set, they would find each other on Chanyeol’s old bed, becoming one as the moonlight kissed their bodies. Again, again and again.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol grabbed the old, red jacket still laying on the sofa, the one his brother always used, and wore it instead of the one Jongdae gave them. It was a bit small on the sleeves, but the familiar scent of his brother hugged him, permeating his own body with a serene sensation. Then, Baekhyun took his hand, guiding him to the door and to the street.</p><p> </p><p>The rain was pouring hard outside, hitting the dark concrete with force, while thousands of thunders tore the sky apart. The two walked close to each other, bringing the back of their jackets above their heads in the desperate attempt to shield themselves from the storm. They kept walking and walking, but it was hard even for Chanyeol to find the right road in such a condition. He kept mistaking a street for another, involuntary leading them toward the Center Square.</p><p> </p><p>And there, a desperate cry arose in the silence.</p><p> </p><p>Before they could even see where it came from, the two hid behind a wall, making sure to not endanger anyone.</p><p> </p><p>But then, among that devastating howls, a voice was heard and Chanyeol’s heart was set into flames.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Yunho.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Right there, under the pouring rain, stood the first person that ever considered Chanyeol as something more than a mistake. His brother, his little dragon.</p><p> </p><p>But what destroyed Chanyeol the most, was that he was trapped inside a cage, right in the middle of the square, as the unceasing drops of water washed his blood away. He was crouched on the ground, holding his head with both of his hands, his tears merging with the rain and disappearing into the void. The image of his brother being hurt, devastated and trapped suddenly became the only thing he could see, his cries resonating in the rain like a distant and desolated echo. It pierced through his skin like a dagger, devouring him as his brother’s voice infested his head.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Y-Yunho.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol kept whispering his name, like a mantra, a prayer, while he felt like the water was choking him, invading his lungs and destroying him from the inside. His body felt like giving out, the need to just abandon himself to the ground and succumb under the rain took over his mind.</p><p> </p><p>“Chanyeol, please, breathe” he heard Baekhyun say, holding him up from his shoulders. “You have to calm down, Chanyeol, please.”</p><p> </p><p>“My...my<em> Little Dragon</em>” the tall boy was choking on his own words. “They...they hurt him, Baekhyun. T-they hurt my Yunho.”</p><p> </p><p>“Chanyeol, you have to breathe.”</p><p> </p><p>The devastating fear of losing the person that gave him a reason to not succumb to the voices in his head, his little dragon, was destroying him, his thoughts screaming inside his mind like a dying phoenix. Flames could not hurt him, but he was turning into ashes, disappearing as the pouring rain destroyed every remain of his soul.</p><p> </p><p>“I-I have to go to him, Baekhyun” he said. “I-I have to...I have to make sure that-that he’s okay”</p><p> </p><p>“But, Chanyeol, that would put both you and him in danger, you—ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“I...have to” Chanyeol whispered again, his eyes never leaving his brother.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun seemed to be lost in his thoughts for a few seconds, before crouching down next to Chanyeol and hold him from his shoulders, staring sternly at his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, now you listen to me” Baekhyun commended. “I can take advantage of the rain, use my magic and create an illusion to distract the diviners observing us. It’s a really complicated form of enchantment and it’ll probably drain me completely, so you only have five minutes to talk to him.”</p><p> </p><p>“But, Baekhyun—ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“Just trust me, Chanyeol” his lover’s gaze never left his face, staring so strongly that he felt those eyes on his soul. “Go, now.”</p><p> </p><p>Then, Chanyeol just kissed Baekhyun, firmly, so passionately, holding his cheeks between his hands before running to his brother. Yunho suddenly turned around, looking at Chanyeol launching himself to the ground, while Baekhyun positioned himself at his back, producing an illusion and using the rain as a similar screen to those they saw in Tronitus.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Y-Yeolie</em>” Yunho whispered, the dryness of his throat choking him. “Yeolie is...is it actually you?”</p><p> </p><p>His brother was exhausted, so tired that he could barely speak or recognize him. He was shaking in the cold, his dump clothes sticking to his body like a second skin. His eyes looked empty, completely lost, almost like a corpse, while dozens of cuts and wounds tore his face apart. Chanyeol stretched his arm, touching his brother’s cheek, cradling it on his palm just like he did when they were barely more than children.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s me, little dragon” he said. “It’s me.”</p><p> </p><p>“You...you’re alive” Yunho was smiling, smiling so brightly despite his body slowly collapsing more and more toward the ground.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, I am alive, Yunho” Chanyeol said again, tears falling as their salty taste tinted his lips. “I promise I would win this quest, didn’t I?”</p><p> </p><p>“Y-you did” he kept smiling, even if his eyes were slowly closing down.</p><p> </p><p>“What did they do to you, little dragon?” he asked, fearing that question with every fiber of his soul. “What happened? Who did—who did this to you?”</p><p> </p><p>“T-the king said I had to be proof. The proof of Ignis’s power” his voice was low, but drenched in bitterness. “Everyone had to see...what Ignis’ government can do, he wanted everyone to-to be able to look at me and be reminded of the ruthlessness of our reign, promising...promising a public execution in case you won’t be the first to get that treasure...”</p><p> </p><p>Anger suddenly invaded his insides, munching on every inch of his body, devouring his brain, flooding his veins. The middle of an hurricane, a sun storm in the desert, a storm pouring and growing from the thunders...Chanyeol was all that. For the first time, he wanted to kill. He wanted to give up all his morals, his ideas, his dreams of a world where cruelty did not exist. He was murderous, clutching his fists until his knuckles became completely white, punching the wet ground.</p><p> </p><p>But at the same time, he was scared. Scared of what they could do, scared of not arriving on time, scared of failing and having to look those monsters take his brother’s life away.</p><p> </p><p>He could not lose him, because, if Baekhyun was his moon, Yunho had always been his sun.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol felt the flames inside of him coming alive all at once, raging like a living hell, burning his heart but never turning it into ashes. He was crying, sobs strangling his neck like strong fingers trying to suffocate him, but there was something new blooming inside him. It was rage, fear, perhaps a mixture of both, but also determination. He wanted to win, for Yunho, for Baekhyun, for Yeosang and Yixing, for Minseok, Kyungsoo and Junmyeon. He wanted to win for his old self, the one who swore he would have never been something more than a mere lost soul.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was alive for a reason and the universe itself gave it to him.</p><p> </p><p>“Then I’ll show those bastards what I’m capable of” he said, his eyes shining. “I’m a gifted, the universe chose me, the Gods decided that I’m worthy of winning this thing. And when I get that treasure, I’ll give you a proper life, Yunho. No more struggles, no more pain, just the happiness you deserve.”</p><p> </p><p>“B-but I’ve always been…happy” Yunho whispered, grabbing his brother’s hand from behind the bars. “Living with you had always been enough for me. W-waking up every morning knowing no one could separate us anymore, going to bed with the certainty of seeing you again the next morning...that was what made me happy. I never...I never cared about living in an enormous palace, owning jewels or eating a whole feast every single day, because...because finally having my brother was what I’ve always wanted.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol tightened the hold on Yunho’s hand, smiling at him.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re still my <em>hero</em>, Yeolie” he said. “And you’ll always be.”</p><p> </p><p>Yunho moved one of his arms, shaking as the pain on his bones pervaded his entire body, and he rummaged inside his pocket, taking something out of it. Something Chanyeol knew way too well.</p><p> </p><p>The shiny, red stone Chanyeol found on the beach so many years before.</p><p> </p><p>“This...this is a magical stone, Yeolie” the younger whispered, gently placing the shining gem on his brother’s hands. “As long as...you keep it with you, you’ll be safe, because it’ll always lead you back to me. When you feel lonely, or scared...you’ll just have to close your eyes and hold it to your heart. I’ll hear you...and you’ll hear me, right?”</p><p> </p><p>He giggled softly, unclenching his fist and holding his brother’s hand again, reminiscing their old days.</p><p> </p><p>“Right” Chanyeol whispered.</p><p> </p><p>“But now...I know you’re not alone, anymore.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol looked at his brother with a questioning expression, before the younger looked at the boy behind his back.</p><p> </p><p>His Baekhyun.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s the <em>ermine</em>, right?” he asked and Chanyeol could only nod. “I’m glad...you finally found him, Yeolie. You deserve <em>love.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>The tall boy could hear his lover’s pained moan from behind his back, a clear sign that he wouldn’t be able to resist much more. Chanyeol looked at his brother one last time, holding the stone tightly, before whispering some painful last words.</p><p> </p><p><em>“I’ll come back”</em>.</p><p> </p><p>He stood up, glancing at Yunho once again, only to see him smile at him. He finally looked happy again. Chanyeol held a weak Baekhyun in his arms, running and disappearing into the darkness as the wind stole his tears.</p><p> </p><p><em>“I’ll come back”</em> he thought. <em>“I’ll be come back for you.”</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It took them three days to exceed the entirety of the forest but, on the third night, the suspended bridge that led to Eurus finally appeared in front of the two. The bridge was made out of white stone, shored by multiple street lamps on both sides, taking pedestrians directly to the flying city of Eurus.</p><p> </p><p>Something looked terribly wrong, though.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun crossed the bridge, looking up at the impressive city, but when they reached the grey bricks of the street, they realized that Eurus was different. The trees were leafless, their branches looking like hanging skeletons and there was no more water flowing from what used to be an impressive waterfall. Those houses and building that once looked so luxurious were slowly deteriorating, while creepers grew uncontrollably along the walls. The palace was standing tall right in the middle of the city, but its lights were dead and rows of ivy were swallowing it up completely. The grey emblems were silently flowing in the air, while none of the beautiful pegasi Eurus bred was soaring in the sky.</p><p> </p><p>“What happened to Eurus?” Baekhyun wondered. “I vividly remember how this place looked in my books and this is far from the image I had in my head...”</p><p> </p><p>“Why does it look like no one still lives here?” Chanyeol asked, turning around and looking at the lifeless streets, the silence devouring everything around them. “Everything seems…<em>dead.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s leave this place as fast as we can, I don’t want to disappear like everything else in this city.”</p><p> </p><p>The two moved a few steps but, suddenly, the air around them shifted strangely. A much stronger blow of wind and then a pair of eyes staring at their backs.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun could not even turn around on time, because Chanyeol was already launching himself against Oh Sehun. His fists were on fire, flames surrounding his fingers as he attacked the other resolutely, determination burning inside his eyes. Baekhyun was so shocked that he could not even move, his legs turned into stone, anchoring him to the ground. He had never seen Chanyeol so angry. The sweet, delicate, shy and attentive guy he fell in love with was now punching Sehun like a mad man.</p><p> </p><p>“How could you?” He screamed, not even allowing the other to breathe.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was moving fast, way too fast for a human being, and for the first time Baekhyun could see terror darkening Sehun’s eyes. His movements looked unsure, hesitant, and his fists had never seemed so weak.</p><p> </p><p>“How could you kill all of them, Sehun?!” Chanyeol shouted in silence, shooting inflamed bullets against the other.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>What?</em>” Sehun asked, but his question was left unanswered because something shook Eurus’s ground.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol was shining.</p><p> </p><p>His body seemed to be made of light, resplending in the middle of the dead city like a burning supernova exploding in the night sky. Chanyeol looked scared for a second, staring down at his hands with wide eyes, but a wave of power shook him all of a sudden and he just shot.</p><p> </p><p>It was not just flames.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol hit Oh Sehun with both light and fire at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>And just like that, everything went black.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Chanyeol!”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol fell into an unconscious state for three hours and half, lying like a leafless corpse in the middle of the dead city of Eurus.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun’s voice resonated in the pitch black darkness that ate him alive, bringing him back. As soon as he opened his eyes, his vision was blurry, making it hard to even distinguish the two confused figures above him.</p><p> </p><p>“Chanyeol, wake up!”</p><p> </p><p>It was the voice he loved again and his eyes finally focused on Baekhyun’s worried face. He smiled, looking at his lover’s wet eyes, but then someone else moved beside him.</p><p> </p><p><em>Oh Sehun</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol suddenly stood up despite the pain his head was in and shielded Baekhyun with his own, weak body, waiting for Sehun’s next move.</p><p> </p><p>But it never came.</p><p> </p><p>Sehun was just standing there, looking at him with wide eyes, confusion and pain merging together on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t you dare to come closer, assassin” Chanyeol screamed at him, ignoring Baekhyun’s pleas from behind his back.</p><p> </p><p>“What did you just call me?” Sehun snapped back, walking closer to the two.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Assassin</em>” the taller repeated. “Isn’t that what you are after killing all those people, Sehun? Are you waiting for the right moment to kill us too?”</p><p> </p><p>“Chanyeol, <em>stop</em>” Baekhyun said, firmly, determination and power now shining in his gaze as he moved to his front. “We were wrong all along.”</p><p> </p><p>“Baekhyun—ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“That Kim Jongdae tricked you both and you took his bait like an hungry sole” Sehun spluttered, hiding his hands inside the pockets of his trousers and spitting on the ground some of the blood that kept falling from his lips. “He’s sly and clever, I gotta admit that. You fell for his trap like two little kids bribed by some candies...”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol could not even snap back, because his mind was suddenly trapped in the eye of a storm. He felt sea sick, the world morphing into a ship at the center of the ocean, transported by the baleful waves. </p><p> </p><p>“<em>What?</em>” he asked, moving closer to Sehun as Baekhyun followed.</p><p> </p><p>“Chanyeol, Sehun never killed all those people and Kyungsoo, Minseok and Junmyeon never fell under his daggers. The assassin had always been Jongdae.”</p><p> </p><p>“He hit you with a knife in that forest, right?” Sehun was now crossing both arms in front of his chest, slightly tilting his head as he talked to Chanyeol. “Well, he threw one at me too. I still thank the Gods that he wasn’t able to hit my chest like he tried to.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t—I don’t understand. He tried to help us so many times” he stuttered. “A—and we saw you holding that knife, while Kyungsoo lied lifeless at your feet!”</p><p> </p><p>“He was trying to gain your trust just to take information out of you and Baekhyun. He was studying you, because you two were the only ones he knew nothing about. I barely arrived there after hearing Kyungsoo screaming but it was too late. Only a knife and his dead body were there” Sehun said. “Don’t you find it suspicious how he came up to you, that first day at parliament? Don’t ask me how he understood that there was something going on between you two before everyone else did, but he purposely tried to rile you up and make you spit out everything he needed to know about Baekhyun’s powers.”</p><p> </p><p>“And he did the same with me, Chanyeol. He angered me until I told him about you being a gifted” now it was Baekhyun who talked, holding the taller’s hands between his. “Remember how he reacted when he got to know about our soulmate marks? That always rubbed me off in the wrong way, but I decided to ignore it. Somehow, he always gave me a bad feeling, but I was so sure he was nothing more than an annoying, boisterous guy...turns out that he had always been an assassin, instead.”</p><p> </p><p>“Baekhyun, how can you trust him so easily?” Chanyeol was now looking at his lover, removing his hands from the other’s warm hold. “What if he’s the one trying to trick us instead!”</p><p> </p><p>The small boy let out a faint sigh, one of his delicate hands passing through his hair out of frustration.</p><p> </p><p>“Sehun, show him”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol couldn’t understand. He felt lost, like a lonely raft in the middle of the sea, where no land could be sighted. Sehun walked towards an old house, just a few meters away from where they were standing. He used all the strength he had to grab what was hiding behind that wall and it did not take him that long to realize what the other was dragging behind him.</p><p> </p><p>A <em>corpse</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Sehun pushed the dead body to Chanyeol, letting him lay at his feet. The stagnant odor of the carcass invaded his nose, infesting his insides like a ghost, as he stared at the man lying on the ground. He was now nothing more than a cluster of bones, his hollow eyes lost somewhere above the earth.</p><p> </p><p>And just like every other victim, he had a dagger stuck in the middle of his chest.</p><p> </p><p>“This was one of my royal diviners” Sehun’s head was hanging low, his voice completely broken. “While you were still unconscious, we heard someone screaming again...the next thing we knew was that one of my most trusted men had been killed just a few meters away from me...”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s the same dagger, Chanyeol” Baekhyun was holding his arm, looking at him with a sad expression on his face. “Same dagger, same wound right on the victim’s chest.”</p><p> </p><p>“I might look merciless, Chanyeol, but there’s one thing I’d never do” Sehun said, severe, stern. “I’d never kill my own people. I’d never decide to take someone else’s life away from them. Yes, I’m a king, but I’d never pretend to be a God.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol let himself fall to the dirty ground once again, taking the palms of his hands toward his face.</p><p> </p><p>He was a fool.</p><p> </p><p>He blindly trusted the person who was only waiting for the right moment to penetrate his and his lover’s chests with a bloodied dagger.</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t believe I let myself be played like that” he said. “I had faith in someone that wanted nothing more than to see my body covered in blood...”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s a genius, Chanyeol. The Gods chose him for a reason” Sehun crouched down next to the body, delicately closing his eyelid with two fingers. “Jongdae is one of Tronitus’s most trusted engineers, such an enormous brain despite his small stature. He’s able to study your brain like you’re one of his machines, pulling the right wires inside your mind. You might be too innocent for this quest — maybe even quite dense— but anyone would fall for his trap. Baekhyun is just as intelligent as him, but he let himself be fooled too.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry, Sehun” Chanyeol confessed, directing his eyes towards the ground as a sense of shame engulfed him. “I’m sorry that...that I dared to call you an assassin when I basically had no proof.”</p><p> </p><p>Sehun did notreply, he just stretched one arm, offering his hand to Chanyeol, helping him to stand back on his feet.</p><p> </p><p>“You should be sorry for the way you hit me, instead” the king said, something similar to an amused tone hidden in his words.</p><p> </p><p>“I have no idea how that happened” Chanyeol’s head was hanging low again. He was confused, incredibly ashamed, but there was also a sense of betrayal defiling the blood inside his veins.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re soulmates, Chanyeol” Sehun was smiling at them, as Baekhyun came closer, intertwining their hands. “Soulmates share a piece of each other’s soul, you’re two different beings but one at the same time. The powers that reside inside you, those we call <em>gifts</em>, are living forces that morphed together when you two made love.”</p><p> </p><p>The couple’s eyes met each other’s, a gentle but shy smile spreading on their lips as they remembered the devastating feelings that invested their bodies the moment they coalesced and became one under the moonlight. Baekhyun brought his free hand in front of his chest, closing his eyes, calling for that flame that his heart now guarded. He could feel it, burning, creaking, coming alive inside him. The boy snapped his fingers together and a small, lonely fleck of fire appeared.</p><p> </p><p>Sehun’s lips were curved upwards, but there was something taunting that smile — bitterness, perhaps longing, pain and melancholy. His eyes were staring at the flame, but they were lost somewhere else, in a void where all his memories resided.</p><p> </p><p>“How much I wish I could just be with <em>him </em>again” he whispered and the two looked at him.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Him?” </em>Baekhyun asked, his flame disappearing.</p><p> </p><p>“I have someone I love, too” Sehun said, his head raising toward the decadent palace behind them. “I arrived here three days ago and my heart just isn’t allowing me to leave this place, because he’s still here, inside the castle that saw our love story unfolding like a fairytale.”</p><p> </p><p>He smiled again.</p><p> </p><p>“Because that’s what our love story is. A <em>fairytale</em>” he walked a few steps towards the palace, breathing heavily. “When the sun starts to set, he always sits in my old studio, the one where the warmest rays shine. So I hide behind the apple tree, right in front of that window, and I just stare at him for hours, without him knowing, until the moon takes its place in the sky. I know I should only think about that treasure, but how am I supposed to go on, when my heart doesn’t feel complete?”</p><p> </p><p>He giggled softly, wondering why he was telling such things to people he barely knew, but he was happy to finally share their story with someone else.</p><p> </p><p>Oh Sehun had always been lonely.</p><p> </p><p>So lonely that his own reign used to refer to him as <em>the lonesome prince. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>Since he was a kid, his life had always consisted on etiquettes, rigorous tuition, formal events and strictness. There was not space for toys, nor serene days spent playing in the garden or friends of his age. The only companions he had were his servants and his dear nanny, Mrs. Jehane. Young Sehun used to stare at the other kids of the court running after each other along the corridors of the palace, considering them nothing more than immature children. He thought he did not need any of that. He was the prince, the future king of Eurus, and there was not time in his life for such childish bafooneries.  </p><p> </p><p>The poor kid could not even realize that his own parents were depriving him of his childhood.</p><p> </p><p>Sehun never understood why Mrs. Jehane stared at him with such pained eyes when he stopped to look at the other kids. He never understood why a tear left her face every time she realized that she never heard his laugh. He never understood, because he could not.</p><p> </p><p>But one day, someone came into his life. Someone that made him understand how <em>feeling </em>his own emotions felt like.</p><p> </p><p>During a rainy afternoon, Mrs. Jehane came to his room, accompanied by a kid he had never seen before that moment. His name was <em>Jongin</em> and he was the son of a poor pegasus breeder. The nanny told him how his father finally agreed to grant him a playmate, one that would live with him inside the palace.</p><p> </p><p><em>“I don’t need friends!” </em>Young Sehun shouted. <em>“I’m the future king! Kings don’t have friends! They only have subjects!” </em></p><p>
  
</p><p><em>“A king that doesn’t know how to love will never be a good king, Sehun” </em>Mrs Jehane said, protectively holding Jongin’s small shoulders with both of her hands.</p><p> </p><p>That day, he refused to even look at the other in the eyes but Jongin had always been a very stubborn and lively kid. He wanted a friend too and he was determined to make the young prince accept him as his playmate.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Hello, Sehun!” </em>The kid said one day, sitting with Sehun on one of the benches in the garden, holding two little wooden swords.</p><p> </p><p><em>“You can’t call me Sehun, peasant!” </em>He replied, offended. <em>“I’m Your Highness, for you!” </em></p><p>
  
</p><p><em>“But I don’t like calling you like that, so I’ll just find you a new nickname” </em>little Jongin brought his finger under his chin, thinking deeply for a few seconds, before his face suddenly lighted up. <em>“I’ll call you Hunnie!” </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“But you can’t—ˮ</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>“So, Hunnie, do you want to play with me?” </em>He asked, offering Sehun one of his wooden swords. <em>“I bet you can’t win against me!”</em></p><p>
  
</p><p><em>“What?!” </em>The prince stood up, grabbing the toy from the other’s hands. <em>“I’m the prince of Eurus! Of course I can win against a peasant like you!” </em></p><p>
  
</p><p>After that day, Sehun and Jongin played together every day.</p><p> </p><p>When Sehun was done with his lessons, he would look for Jongin in his room and they would spent the entire afternoon together.</p><p> </p><p>Six years after that day, they kissed for the first time under that apple tree in the palace’s garden. It was an innocent kiss, the kind of gesture young boys would share to experiment, to understand themselves. But Sehun found himself thinking about Jongin way too often, after that day. He would stare at the ceiling, touching his own lips with the tips of his fingers, thinking about the moment they lived. It was hard for the young prince to act like he always did with the other, because he would find himself blushing and stuttering every single time Jongin came too close.</p><p> </p><p>Soon, he got to know that Jongin felt the same.</p><p> </p><p>When Sehun’s father passed away and the young prince became the king of Eurus, Jongin was there, to support him like the caring lover he was.</p><p> </p><p>When Eurus slowly died, Jongin was still there, holding Sehun as he cried during every single night.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s waiting for you, isn’t he?” Baekhyun asked, holding Chanyeol’s hand as they walked to the palace.</p><p> </p><p>“I hope so” Sehun replied, giggling lightly.</p><p> </p><p>It was refreshing to see him so differently. The cold, heartless king finally looked human.</p><p> </p><p>“But, Sehun...what happened to Eurus?” Chanyeol was now looking at him, big eyes searching for any kind of discomfort on the other’s face. Sehun just raised his head towards the sky, breathing heavily, keeping his hands in the pocket of his trousers.</p><p> </p><p>“It died” he said. “And I could do nothing but just look at my reign perishing in front of my eyes.”</p><p> </p><p>“How did that happen?”</p><p> </p><p>“Right in the middle of spring, the trees started losing their leaves, while the waterfalls slowly drained. At the same time, our beautiful pegasi got ill and, the majority died in the span of a few daysˮ Sehun sighed, eyes filled with tears “Then, it was my people’s turn. A deadly virus started spreading out of nowhere, killing them one by one. Only a few people from the court and my army resisted.”</p><p> </p><p>A pause.</p><p> </p><p>“Soon, the same thing will happen to the rest of Nyalis, too” the prince said. “It started with Glaciem, then Eurus and the other reigns won’t be spared if we don’t put an end to this war.”</p><p> </p><p>“But…I thought Glaciem had been destroyed after all the other reigns unceasingly exploited their population and resources?” Baekhyun asked, his eyebrows furrowing.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, maybe partially. The exploitation was just the beginning of what happened to Glaciem” they were right in front of the palace, stopping right at the enormous gate that preceded the entrance. “After that, everything died, just like in Eurus. People started disappearing, the land became nothing more than a vast valley covered in snow and the reign was slowly left to its dark destiny. We are neglecting our world, our reigns’ only concern is this disgusting war and no one is worried about how we’re slowly destroying Nyalis with our greed for power. My diviners think that this mysterious virus might originate from ancient natural forces, magic maybe. Our earth is slowly turning against us and its due to the constant status of chaos this war keeps us in.”</p><p> </p><p>“The Gods really abandoned us like this” Chanyeol said, but Sehun was quick to reply back.</p><p> </p><p>“They’ve never been with us, Chanyeol. There’s nothing a God can do against the mankind’s selfishness and greed...”</p><p> </p><p>Sehun jumped on the fence, nimbly climbing over it and finding himself inside the garden of the palace. Chanyeol and Baekhyun followed, with the taller helping his lover and holding him in his arms, while Sehun was already seated in front of that window, outside of his old studio. He was sitting on the grass, with crossed legs, slightly hidden behind the apple tree. The couple smiled at the sight, because the stern prince looked so innocent in that moment. They took their place behind the tree as well, with Baekhyun sitting on Chanyeol’s lap, staring at the direction Sehun was looking at.</p><p> </p><p>The sun slowly tinted the sky with every shade of red and Jongin finally appeared, his grey, silky tunic flowing like thunderous waves. The warm hue of the falling sun kissed his bronzed skin like a longing lover, making him look majestic while hugged by his grey peplum. There was a certain elegance in his airy movements, his naked feet only slightly caressing the marble grounds. For sure, Jongin was the representation od unique beauty, one sculpted by the sun itself.</p><p> </p><p>Sehun looked entranced, following his lover as he walked around the room. There was love, passion, melancholy, longing reflecting inside his glossy eyes, his lips only lightly trembling. Chanyeol and Baekhyun did not dare to say a word. The power of a love shared by two soulmates was coming alive right in front of them. Sehun slowly stood up, a step closer, then a second and a third one, until Jongin stopped in front of the enormous mirror inside the room.</p><p> </p><p>But, he was not looking at his reflection. His eyes were fixed on something else, perhaps someone else, smiling at him from the other side of the window.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I love you</em>” Sehun mouthed.</p><p> </p><p>Jongin could only stare as one, lonely tear ran down his face, falling right into the void.</p><p> </p><p>Sehun laid his palms on the surface of the window, trying to touch him, to feel closer, to destroy every barrier that kept them apart. But he knew he could not do it. He just stood there, his forehead pressed against the glass, mouthing those words of love again, again and again, until his lips felt drained.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I love you too</em>” Jongin finally replied, closing his trembling eyes and allowing just one more tear to fall.</p><p> </p><p>And like that, as the moon took its place in the sky, Jongin left, like a ghost disappearing together with the sun.</p><p> </p><p>Sehun could not move for a few moments, closing his eyes as he let both hands slowly fall along his body.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun reached for him, gently shaking his shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>But there was something inside that room that caught the three boys’ attention.</p><p> </p><p>Or, rather, inside the mirror.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Fuck</em>” Baekhyun cursed under his breath.</p><p> </p><p>Three shadows were reflecting in the giant mirror right behind the window. Three shadows that looked way too much like them, but whose red eyes shone in the dim light of the dusk.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Run!</em>” Baekhyun could only scream.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>BOOK VI</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>At the End of the World</em>
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</p><p>
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</p><p>
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  </strong>
</p><p>“What the <em>hell </em>was that?” Sehun asked as they stopped running, right in the middle of the Eurus forest.</p><p> </p><p>“I-I have no idea, I—ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“I have seen that before...” Baekhyun said, sternly looking towards the end of the vast forest, facing the opposite direction of the other two boys. “Back at Jongdae’s apartment, inside the mirror he kept right next to the window. It was dark, way too dark, but I could see something staring at me or…well, <em>someone. </em>It looked like my shadow, with those blinding red eyes…and there was such an evil smile creeping on its face.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why didn’t you tell me, Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asked concercerned.</p><p> </p><p>“It was way too late in the night and I just woke up…I was so sure I had just imagined it all...ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“They looked way too much like <em>demons</em>, but why would they appear like that?” Sehun wondered.</p><p> </p><p>“Demons don’t live in mirrors, Sehun” Baekhyun said, frustratingly messing up his white hair. “Mirrors are said to be the portal to Nyalis’s opposite universe, but the passage hasn’t been opened in millenniums, they can’t be traveling through it. They aren’t powerful enough to open the doors to the Underworld.”</p><p> </p><p>“Unless…someone else did it for them” Chanyeol tried to talk but, suddenly, a devastating noise made the earth tremble.</p><p> </p><p>The three quickly ran towards the end of the forest, surpassing rows and rows of dead trees, stepping on thousands of branches while the soil kept shaking, making it hard to stand on their feet. They reached the end but, instead of light, they found only darkness. Two, tall trees with intertwined branches marked the entrance to <em>Terminus Mundi</em>, the end of the world. The boys stepped beyond, planting their feet on red soil but, in front of them, only the void stood. Everything was pitch black, just darkness swallowing up the entire place, while the dusk starry vault and the moon observed them from afar, right above them.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun snapped his fingers and, one by one, hundreds of torches lit up with fire all around the dark void, bringing light back to the place.</p><p> </p><p>“Welcome to the end of the world” he said.</p><p> </p><p>The blanket of dead trees hid a desolated valley, covered in red sand, and right in the middle the old temple arose from the perished canyon — tall, mighty, with rows of columns running in circle and roots growing along its surface. A majestic staircase elevated itself up to the dark sky and a circular structure stood right at its end, while enormous, golden rings overhang the entire structure, moving in a round motion. Two gigantic statues stood at its entrance, like templar warriors protecting the old temple. A man, with wigs spread on his back — long hair that almost covered his face and armored body. Next to him there was a woman, enveloped by a flowing long tunic, curly strands falling on her shoulders.</p><p>
  
</p><p>“The treasure must be there, inside the temple” Baekhyun said.</p><p> </p><p>“There are three of us, but only one can take it” Sehun turned toward the other two. “I want to save my people, to build Eurus back from its ashes. And you? Who are you doing this for?”</p><p> </p><p>“For my family and for myself” the smaller answered, smiling as he stared at the temple right in front of them. “To give my brothers a better life, away from that damned palace, and show the world that I’m so much more than just a <em>whore.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“F-for my brother” Chanyeol stuttered, his head hanging low. “Who…who will be executed if I don’t bring that treasure back to Ignis.”</p><p> </p><p>Sehun looked at him, his breathing stopping for a moment. “C-Chanyeol, I—ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“Get that treasure, Sehun” the tall boy wasn’t looking at the young king. It was hard to stand that pained, pitiful expression, so he just kept his eyes to the ground, taking Baekhyun’s hand in his. “You have a whole reign to save, to rebuild. There are people waiting for you to give them a future and I’m not selfish enough to steal that treasure from you…just promise me, as the king of Eurus, that you’re gonna do your best to save mine and Baekhyun’s brothers.”</p><p> </p><p>The king dropped the bag he was holding to the ground, walking closer to the boy he grew fond of in such a short amount of time. He laid one of his hands on Chanyeol’s shoulders, looking at Baekhyun, who just smiled at him, as if he was giving him his blessing too.</p><p> </p><p>“Eurus will welcome all of you with open arms” Sehun said. “I’ll make sure to save all of them, may this be the last thing I do in my life. I promise. I promise you both.”</p><p> </p><p>Sehun grabbed his sword, making the first step towards the grand staircase, as his grey, long jacket danced in the breeze. Baekhyun was holding Chanyeol from the side, while they observed the other walking closer to the finish line. He looked like a true king with the moon kissing him from above, as his sword reflected all the stars observing him from afar.</p><p> </p><p>But suddenly, someone came out from the darkness and attacked Sehun with two of his daggers, pushing him down the staircase.</p><p> </p><p>Kim Jongdae.</p><p> </p><p>“Pathetic” the boy sputtered as his feline mouth turned upwards, his giggles now dark and evil.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun ran to their friend, crouching down next to his body lying on the red ground.</p><p> </p><p>There was blood coming out of his wounds: crimson, fresh, invading their noses with a metallic and deadly odor. Sehun was breathing heavily, his chest rising up and down frantically, trying to suffocate the excruciating pain coming from the lacerated skin on his shoulders. His blood was poisoning the warm sand, his eyes lost in the endless vault above them. Chanyeol held Sehun’s head on his lap, while pressing his shirt on the cut in the desperate attempt to stop the hemorrhage. Tears were scratching his sweet young face, falling down from his chin, mixing with all the blood that was now staining his hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Kim Jongdae!” Baekhyun roared, grabbing Sehun’s sword and climbing the stairs. He attacked the other, but Jongdae stopped him with the side of his dagger.</p><p> </p><p>“Took you long enough to figure out who’s the real enemy” Jongdae said, laughing out loud. “I thought you were clever, Byun Baekhyun. Maybe that idiot boyfriend of yours infected you with his rampant stupidity.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t you even dare talk about Chanyeol, you murderer” Baekhyun pushed Jongdae back, making him lose his balance for a second. “You won’t get that treasure.”</p><p> </p><p>Another laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“I wouldn’t be so sure.”</p><p> </p><p>And just like that, Jongdae used his whole body to propel Baekhyun down the staircase, making him fall right next to Sehun.</p><p> </p><p>“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol screamed at the sight of his lover lying on the ground, looking at him hardly standing up on his knees.</p><p> </p><p>Jongdae ran to the end of the staircase, a triumphant, evil smirk creeping on his demonic face while he walked right under the moving rings. He stood at the center of the temple, raising his arms towards the sky, glancing at the couple. He laughed in the silence, waves of power shaking his entire body, flowing inside his veins like a jolt as he bathed in that victorious sensation.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>For Hala!</em>” He screamed, his voice echoing in the entire dead valley.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, and a flash of red light invaded his body, falling right from the sky.</p><p> </p><p>The earth started to shake, as if the universe was falling apart right under their feet. Darkness devoured the world around them once again. The serene vault that overhang them was being enveloped by a black veil while the moon and all its stars disappeared completely.</p><p> </p><p>It was a moonless sky.</p><p> </p><p>The same sky that had haunted every single one of their dreams.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, something started raining from above them. Mirrors, thousands of mirrors falling like weightless drops, stabbing the red sand of the valley. Two enormous ones fell in the middle of the temple, right behind Jongdae’s back as a golden coffer appeared between his hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Take it, my Lord!”</p><p> </p><p>The black smoke that enveloped the gigantic mirror in the middle was thick, agitated, while thunders danced among its surface. Baekhyun positioned his frail, wounded body in front of Chanyeol and Sehun, trying to shield them from whatever was moving from inside that fog, but his face fell as soon as someone stepped out from it.</p><p> </p><p>It was a man, one even taller than Chanyeol. His long, raven hair seemed to be crafted by the dark fog and a messy strand covered one of his eyes. His grey skin looked made of silver as his flowing black tunic ran all over it. He looked like a monster. An alluring, seducing demon perhaps, and when he spread his enormous dark wings Baekhyun realized, he was the man represented in one of the two statues at the entrance of the temple.</p><p> </p><p>“W-what is that?” Chanyeol stuttered.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s your <em>God</em>, giant ogre. Have some respect” Jongdae replied, bowing to the man, handing him the golden coffer.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>God?” </em></p><p> </p><p>“Yes, human. I’m your God” the man spoke, his thunderous voice resonating through the entire valley. “Hala, the God of Chaos, the lord of the night, forged by the moon itself. One of the primordial forces that conceived the world around you.”</p><p> </p><p>“I thought…I thought that Gods were just abstract forces that resided in the universe and that they couldn’t manifest in our dimension” Baekhyun said, but the God just laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“Your ancestors built this temple for a reason, Byun Baekhyun” another dark chuckle. “Gods are exceptional beings, born from the universe itself, but they still preserve a small sliver of those forces that crafted humans. We have bodies, emotions, vices like greed, thirst for power, desires of eternal glory.”</p><p> </p><p>Hala slowly descended the staircase, step by step, holding onto the golden coffer.</p><p> </p><p>“Why would you need that treasure, then? Weren’t you the one that made this entire quest start in the first place? To finally end this war?”</p><p> </p><p>The God looked at Chanyeol, a demonic glare adorning his face, darkening his almost angelic traits. That laugh, the monstrous giggle he emitted every single time the two talked, made blood freeze inside their veins.</p><p> </p><p> It was dark, cavernous, <em>evil. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Why would I wish for the end of this war? It’s what keeps me <em>alive</em>, the only thing that quenches my <em>thirst, </em>what makes me the most powerful being in the entire universe. I’m the God of Chaos, Park Chanyeol, my powers need this war to thrive, to grow stronger” he paused. “Oh, poor humans! You’re still convinced that the kings of your reigns started this war, don’t you? It was <em>me</em> from the very beginning<em>.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>The air felt suddenly colder.</p><p> </p><p>“Those two men were too blinded by their <em>hunger. </em>They were ravenous for gold, glory and power. They secretly wanted Inlumino and Ignis to rule over the entirety of Nyalis, to submit every other reign under their control and, it was effortless to bribe them, to convince them to attack even their most trusted ally” another laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“My <em>sister, </em>the Goddess of Peace, trapped me in the Underworld one millenia prior. It was to protect the world we created, she kept saying, it was because my <em>greed </em>was uncontrollable, but she didn’t realize that I was slowly gaining back my powers, until I became strong enough to open a small, insignificant breach between those damned gates. I only needed one simple thing to interfere with this dimension: <em>mirrors</em>, the portals that connect Nyalis to the Underworld.”</p><p> </p><p>Hala raised one of his arms and snapped his fingers. A white fog covered the other mirror and someone else appeared behind its surface. It was a woman, a beautiful one. Her skin was bronzed, kissed by the sun in the most delicate of all ways, while her majestic, curly hair fell on her shoulders like a golden frame.</p><p> </p><p>“Here she is, in all her shining glory. My twin, <em>Kreela</em>” he sputtered, almost offended by her presence. “Once the war started, the chaos that ensued weakened her until she couldn’t keep me tamed anymore. All that hatred, the blood draining off of all those lifeless corpses, the screams detonating inside her head made all her powers collapse and she whitered like a pathetic flower. So I just took my chance, trapping her in the Underworld instead.”</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, his face morphed into a ruthless grimace.</p><p> </p><p>“But then, you two came and destroyed all my glorious plans” he said. “And that’s why you have to be <em>eliminated.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Another snap of his fingers.</p><p> </p><p>The silence surrounding them.</p><p> </p><p>And then, all of a sudden, it was the <em>apocalypse</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Endless groups of shadows started coming out from the mirrors scattered all around the desolated valley, obeying their obscure lord, aiming at Chanyeol and Baekhyun.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Chanyeol!”</em> Baekhyun screamed, launching himself against the first monster that tried to attack his lover from the back.</p><p> </p><p>Its red eyes were staring at him, piercing through his every bone, blocking his movements. Baekhyun sliced the shadow in half with Sehun’s sword, a bestial scream leaving his mouth. The smaller positioned himself in front of Chanyeol once again, shooting his bullets of light toward the dozens of shadows coming at them. Chanyeol looked at Sehun, who was still lying between his arms as he coughed a few drops of blood. The king hardly opened his eyes again, looking at his friend.</p><p> </p><p>“T-take care of Eurus for me, Chanyeol” he tried to say, the pain coming from his wounds suffocating him. “M-make s-sure...m-make sure that J-Jongin doesn't try to follow m-me”</p><p> </p><p>“Sehun, please, no—ˮ</p><p> </p><p>“I-it’s okay” he said again, a few more drops taunting his lips. “It’s o-okay”.</p><p> </p><p>Those were Sehun’s last words.</p><p> </p><p>The king of Eurus let himself go, exhaling his last breath as his eyes stared at the moonless sky. Not even the stars could welcome him among them that night, because that dark veil was devouring all their light. Chanyeol tightened his fist, suppressing the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes as he laid Sehun on the bloody ground, covering his lifeless body with his grey coat.</p><p> </p><p>Fury, pain, rage, melancholy, vengeance. A storm of different sensations, a tornado destroying everything it found on its way, feelings that were swallowing his body, his brain, his mind.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun turned around, looking at the corpse Chanyeol was holding, and his heart suddenly mirrored his lover’s emotions.</p><p> </p><p>Sehun deserved so much more than that.</p><p> </p><p>He deserved to bring Eurus back to its ancient glory, to grow old with Jongin’s hand held tight between his fingers, to <em>live</em> like the worthy human being he had always been. Sehun suffered for most of his life, fighting loneliness, pain, desolation, only to finish his days lying at the end of the world. The king who lost his reign, who had to stand the sight of his subjects perishing one by one, who dreamt of a better tomorrow... met death in the most painful of ways.</p><p> </p><p>The universe should have paid him back but it only offered him a bloody soil to be murdered on.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun looked at each other, nodding as their intentions were clear in each other’s eyes.</p><p> </p><p>They would win for him too.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun threw the sword to his lover, smiling softly at him.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Together?”</em> He asked.</p><p> </p><p><em>“Until the end of the world”</em> Chanyeol replied.</p><p> </p><p>And then, they threw themselves against the demons.</p><p> </p><p>The two started dodging the shadows’ punches and kicks, slicing them open with fast movements. Baekhyun hit them with his shots of light, while Chanyeol burned their dark bodies with Sehun’s sword covered in flames. Baekhyun ducked to one side, trying to get behind his lover to protect him from the attack coming from his back, while Chanyeol moved flawlessly, almost dancing with his burning weapon. The shadows kept coming, attacking them from all angles and Hala’s laughter mixed with Jongdae’s as they enjoyed the show from the staircase of the temple. The two lovers were fighting together, like one unique being, connected by a bond that went further than love.</p><p> </p><p><em>“At your right!” </em>Chanyeol screamed at Baekhyun’s mind, while he hit one of the demons right on its face.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun climbed a few stairs only to jump from them and slice five shadows at the same time, making them dissipate in the tin air with a blade made of pure light. He landed gracefully on the red ground, looking like an angel of death as he fought, with his white hair flowing like gentle waves as he moved, his determined stare shining in the night.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol stopped fighting for a second just to stare at the beautiful view his lover was.</p><p> </p><p><em>“I love you” </em>the taller whispered to the other’s mind.</p><p> </p><p><em>“I love you too, so don’t get yourself killed” </em>Baekhyun replied, smirking at him from the distance.</p><p> </p><p>The smaller turned around, looking straight into Hala’s eyes as he used his magic to decapitate the head of his enormous statue, throwing it at the shadows, giggling with a satisfied smirk. The metallic sound of Chanyeol’s sword cutting the demons in half resonated in the air together with the monsters’ screams.</p><p> </p><p>The shadows kept coming out of the mirrors, unceasingly, making it hard for Chanyeol and Baekhyun to resist much longer. They found themselves against each other’s back, breathing heavily as they looked at the demons running towards them.</p><p> </p><p>“We can’t go on forever!” Baekhyun said. “We have to think about something!”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol looked around, staring at the mirrors one by one, until he realized.</p><p> </p><p>“The <em>mirrors</em>, Baekhyun. We have to destroy the mirrors” Chanyeol whispered. “They’re the portal to the Underworld, right? They can’t reach this dimension if the only connection between the two worlds is broken.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why didn’t I think about this earlier?” Baekhyun stopped talking only to grab Chanyeol’s face between his hands and leave a hard, fast kiss on the other’s lips. “<em>Go!</em>”</p><p> </p><p>The couple ran to opposite directions, Baekhyun aiming at the East side of the valley, while Chanyeol took the West. The taller kept fighting the running demons with his sword still wrapped into burning flames, waiting for the right moment to hit the mirrors instead. When less shadows appeared, Chanyeol jumped, stabbing the reflective surface with the point of his sword, contemplating hot it shatterd into pieces at his feet. He smiled, proceeding to destroy the other five mirrors in the same way, as Hala’s frustrated screams resonated throughout the entirety of the valley. At the same time, Baekhyun shot his luminous bullets, aiming at the six mirrors on the other side, standing tall, graceful and powerful — moving only his index finger, destroying the shadows coming at him with his other hand.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun found themselves in the middle of the valley, looking at the temple where Hala and a trapped Kreela still stood.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, Jongdae launched himself in Baekhyun’s direction, running down the staircase with both his daggers in his hands. His eyes were bloody, pure anger mirrored in his stare as he attacked the smaller. Before he could even realize it, he had cut his arm open: the boy held his wound with his hand, pressing hard enough to stop both the blood and the piercing pain he felt, his body slowly collapsing on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>The roar that left Chanyeol’s throat was strong enough to scare the Tronitus’ boy and distract him, giving him the chance to attack. Chanyeol hit him with the blade of his sword, blood dripping from a wound on Jongdae’s chest that wasn’t deep enough to kill him. The tall boy pushed Jongdae to the red ground, holding him from the collar of his shirt and staring him from up close.</p><p> </p><p>“I should have done this the first time we met, when you disrespected Baekhyun like that” Chanyeol said. “I can’t believe I let myself be fooled.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re too innocent” Jongdae sputtered. “Innocence won’t make you live long in a world like this one.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why are you even doing this?” He asked, ignoring the other’s words.</p><p> </p><p>“I have dreams, Park Chanyeol. Dreams that are way too big for a simple boy like me” a chuckle. “Hala promised me power, he promised Tronitus the glory it deserves. Thanks to my Dark Lord, this war will never stop and all the other reigns will slowly kill Nyalis with their greed. Tronitus will finally take over our world, creating a new one where technology will replace magic and nature.”</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol punched him right on his face, strong enough to make him lose consciousness.</p><p> </p><p>“Psycho” he whispered, crouching down next to Baekhyun.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol checked his lover’s wound, inspecting the cut and thanking the sky that the blade of Jongdae’s dagger hadn’t been able to reach the muscles or cause an hemorrhage.</p><p> </p><p><em>“You!” </em>Hala screamed, the sky suddenly turning into a thunderous vault, dark clouds appearing all around the valley as soon as the God raised his arms. </p><p> </p><p>Hala was storming down the stairs, taking the clouds with him, while his gaze darkened even more. There was anger, fury, but also a slight worry in his eyes. Kreela finally raised her head, looking at the scene from inside the mirror. She was staring beyond her brother, right where the couple of lovers was. The place suddenly seemed to be infested by a raging music of violins, following Hala’s steps.</p><p> </p><p>For the first time that night, the lovers could almost feel the fear of death. They could see it, concrete, real, right in front of their eyes. The fear of broken dreams, of a darned future, of a lost destiny. The fear of being just a pawn in the universe’s game, the fear of wasting all the pain they went through. The fear of dying on the red, bloody ground of the valley.</p><p> </p><p>The world was in slow motion as Hala shot numerous thunders against them, one falling right behind them, and shaking the earth as if it was made of glass.</p><p> </p><p>It was there.</p><p> </p><p>The odor, that stinging smell of death coming, a smell both of them knew too well.</p><p> </p><p>But Chanyeol and Baekhyun had a life to live, together. They yearned for that future, those dreams they shared, a destiny they finally deserved. The two lovers wanted to grow old together, to kiss until their lungs imploded, to hold each other even when their bodies couldn’t support them anymore, to make love until their last moon shone in the night sky. Chanyeol and Baekhyun fought for that love written in the sky, crafted from stars’ light.</p><p> </p><p>And it was for that love that they stood up again and again, even if those thunders kept dragging them towards the ground and the fear was tearing them apart.</p><p> </p><p>They wanted to <em>live</em>.</p><p> </p><p>For their love, their future, their dreams. For the souls that lost their lives during that cruel war. For those boys who perished under those wicked schemes. For Yixing, Yeosang and Yunho. For Sehun.</p><p> </p><p>The two lovers looked at each other and understood.</p><p> </p><p>They knew they could not win against a God, but there was someone who could, the Godess of Peace, Kreela. One glance was enough for the two to fuigure out the right thing to do. Kreela needed enough power to open the Underworld’s doors once again and trap Hala inside again. There was only one thing that couls win against Chaos: Love, the purest form of peace, the force that moved the entire universe.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun ran to the middle of the valley, their hands found each other’s, holding tightly onto them as if they were last hope they had. The two laid their foreheads together, a small smile appearing on their faces as their fingers intertwined like they were meant to.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Together?” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Together.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Fire embraced Baekhyun’s body, while Chanyeol’s was enveloped by a flash of light. Their link, their gifts morphed together, their spirits merging as one. They closed their eyes, bathing in that weird sensation, listening to the deepest parts of their souls coming alive, coalescing together.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, the images of every moment they had spent together unfolded inside their minds, like the pages of the most beautiful of all tales, one of those legends that live through the millenniums.</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“How do you—how do you know my name?”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“I don’t know” the other replied, realizing how he whispered that name without even thinking. “How do you know mine, then?” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“I-I don’t know either.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Who are you?”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“C-Chanyeol, I’m the chosen one f-from Ignis.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Ignis?The land of dragons?” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Y-yes. A-and you are…” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Baekhyun, from Inlumino, the reign of light.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"Y-you heard me?”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>"I always hear you, Chanyeol."</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Humans are more than just bodies. They’re complex, they have emotions, feelings, sensations, thoughts, they have a soul…and you’re human, Baekhyun. You-you aren’t a toy, nor an ornament or a doll. You’re human.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“You aren’t a sin, or a mistake, a disgrace. You’re you, you’re Chanyeol."</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“I-I’m so sorry I wasn’t there”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“But you were there, Chanyeol. Every night, you were there. In my dreams, you were there, reminding me that I wasn’t alone, that someone was waiting for me, somewhere...and I was right, because you’re here now”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“You’re not alone, Baekhyun. You’re not alone anymore.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“We haven’t even kissed, I can’t let you die yet.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“W-what?”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Come on, coward!”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Maybe, that part of me was with you. Some people say that soulmates’ souls aren’t complete until they meet their other half. Being destined since the day they were born, a fragment of their mind belongs to the other. It’s just a theory, nothing proves its credibility, but I like to think that it’s true.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“</em>
  <em>I would...I would trust you with that fragment of myself. I’m...I’m happy you were the one who guarded it all these years.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I think I’m in love with you”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“I t-think I-I’m in love with you, too”. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“So…we really are soulmates?”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Yes, yes we are.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m glad it’s you, then.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“I trust you.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“I love you.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Right there, with their fire and light mixing together and reaching the sky, the moon appeared above them.</p><p> </p><p>Hala’s thunders stopped as he slowly abandoned himself to the ground, weakened by the sight of the two soulmate marks glowing in gold and a new, beautiful Fern Flower blooming from the ashes of his shadows. Chanyeol and Baekhyun opened their eyes, smiling at the sight of their lover, a single tear ran down their faces as they stretched their arms towards Kreela’s mirror. The dark God tried to stop them, dragging his own body on the ground, but the intensity of their powers was so heavy that it burned his grey skin.</p><p> </p><p>Kreela raised her head once again, welcoming the forces coming from the two lovers with her arms raised up high, as the entire place got invested by an indomitable light. Slowly, the Goddess emerged from the mirror, opening the doors to Nyalis’s dimension, finally free from her chains. She was glowing in gold, like the sun’s proudest creature, smiling softly while Chanyeol and Baekhyun looked at her. Kreela elegantly walked down the staircase, moving like a beautiful angel, and reached her weak brother. She pointed a finger toward the dark God and, for a second, the two lovers could only see an intense light, before their vision was clear again.</p><p> </p><p>Hala was trapped in the Underworld once again, inside the enormous mirror in the middle of the Temple.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun launched himself to Chanyeol’s arms, hugging him with all the strength he had left. The taller was holding his lover’s head close, kissing his white hair as tears kept falling down his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“We made it” Baekhyun whispered.</p><p> </p><p>Kreela made approached the two, walking slowly with a serene smile on her beautiful face. Chanyeol and Baekhyun bowed to the Goddess, but she gently touched their shoulders, asking them to look at her instead. She was holding the golden coffer, stretching her arms for them, offering it to Nyalis’s saviours.</p><p> </p><p>“Congratulations” she said with a melodious voice “The treasure is yours.”</p><p> </p><p>The two touched its surface together — their hands intertwined once again — and the case opened right under their eyes but...</p><p> </p><p>It was<em> empty</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Confusion took over their faces but Kreela was fast to reply.</p><p> </p><p>“Dear ones, the treasure had never been material” she came even closer, delicately touching their chests, right where their hearts were fastly beating. “Your love had always been the only force powerful enough to stop this was.”</p><p> </p><p>Another smile.</p><p> </p><p>“When chaos took over my beloved Nyalis, I was too weakened, too powerless to stand up for the world I created. This war was slowly killing me, draining me of my forces, turning me into a lost soul, while Hala only became stronger. The shadows of the Underworld were slowly devouring me but then a message came to me. A message from the Universe. Two <em>soulmates</em> had been born. The connection between you two gave me a chance, it gave me hope, and ten years after that day, I was able to gather enough power to send you two a sign. A <em>dream</em>” Kreela said.</p><p> </p><p>“Your intertwined souls became the only contact I had with this dimension and, even without you realizing, your love kept burgeoning, so strong that I was finally able to send Nyalis a proper message. I made this quest start in the hope of finally seeing the seven reigns collaborate for the same ambition, but the greed of Nyalis’s rulers turned it into another bloody race. This isn’t what I hoped for, this is so far from the dream that kept me alive while I was trapped...”</p><p> </p><p>Kreela looked sadly at Sehun and Jongdae’s bodies lying on the red sand.</p><p> </p><p>She walked towards Jongdae first, pointing her index finger at him as another powerful light generated from her hands, trapping him inside one of the mirrors.</p><p> </p><p>And then, she turned around, smiling bitterly at Sehun’s lifeless corpse. She caressed his hair, passing her delicate hand all over the boy’s face, only to lean in and close her eyes. Her fingers were now resting on the king’s chest, sun rays leaving her palm once again and, as soon as the light disappeared, Sehun’s body dissipated into the night.</p><p> </p><p>But he was still there, right above them, forever guiding Nyalis from afar, ruling over every star.</p><p> </p><p>Baekhyun hugged Chanyeol closer while they both stared at the peaceful vault that overhang the valley, staring at that one, beautiful star shining so close to the moon.</p><p> </p><p>“You two, my dear ones, you still managed to close the circle” a serene expression was back on her sweet face. “Ignis and Inlumino, the two reigns that started this endless war, finally put an end to it”.</p><p> </p><p>The Goddess left a chaste, delicate kiss on the lovers’ foreheads, cradling their faces inside her warm hands like a mother would.</p><p>
  
</p><p>“I know I’m leaving this world in good hands” she said, bowing to the two.</p><p> </p><p>Right there, the two soulmates wrote their names on the pages of Nyalis’ history.</p><p> </p><p>They kissed and the world around them eclipsed for a moment. There were promises and dreams being shared by the two, delicate words of love filling the air around them, and the stars could only listen.</p><p> </p><p>Ignis and Inlumino, light and fire, finally stood together under the same sky.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>♦♢♦</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>BOOK VII: EPILOGUE</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Once Upon a Moonless Dream</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Five years later</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Baekhyun leaned on the white balcony of the royal palace, arms folded to support his body. He was staring at the serene scenery in front of him. The sun was slowly falling from the peaceful sky, approaching the mountains at the horizon and disappearing behind them, painting everything with a pink tone.</p><p> </p><p><em>Meridiem </em>always looked stunning at that specific hour of the day — when the orange sun hit the golden buildings, before leaving its place to the moon.</p><p> </p><p>Five years had passed since the two soulmates had saved Nyalis and almost everything had changed when they came back, holding the golden coffer in their hands.</p><p> </p><p>Ignis and Inlumino’s kings had been sentenced to prison together with their diviners. After long tortures, they finally admitted their crimes. They were convicted for fuelling an endless war with lies, for surrendering to the bribing of a dark God and sacrificing their subjects’ lives out of greed.</p><p> </p><p>As Nyalis slowly revived from its ashes, both Glaciem and Eurus were born again. Trees started growing on the beautiful, floating land, the waterfall flowed again, the pegasi flew in the sky and the precious dreams Sehun harboured for his reign finally turned into reality.</p><p> </p><p> Life had been hard for Jongin.</p><p> </p><p>The loss of his first and last love brought him to the edge of madness. Every single one of his nights was tore apart by atrocious screams, as nightmares slowly destroyed him. For a long time, Jongin could not even pronounce his name. He just waited, waited and waited in that old studio, looking at the sunset, hopelessly praying for his love to come back, even if he knew it was impossible. But then, three years after his death, a different kind of dream had finally appeared. He could see Sehun surrounded by a sacred hue, smiling at him with serene, peaceful eyes. He was holding a crown, the one he wore as King of Eurus, and he was handing it to his lover, a tender stare illuminating his face. Sehun was asking him to take care of his own reign, to follow the dreams he could not fulfill. He was asking him to go on, to build himself a new beginning, to keep living even after his death.</p><p> </p><p>It was Kreela who sent him that dream. She knew it was what Sehun kept praying for from the sky.</p><p> </p><p>Jongin never found love again, because the memories he had with Sehun were enough for him, but he became king, guiding Eurus toward its new golden days.</p><p> </p><p>Yunho, Yeosang and Yixing were happy. They lived together, inside the beautiful royal palace of Meridiem, enjoying with the future they deserved. Yixing’s theories about the use of light in medical magic spread throughout the entirety of Nyalis, making him one of the most important sorcerers in the therapeutical field.</p><p> </p><p>Yeosang began designing jewels, starting in the silence of his room with the precious stones and crystal Baekhyun brought him back from his journeys. When the royal tailors discovered his talent, they welcomed him in their team and Yeosang started producing hairpieces, necklaces, rings and all sorts of bracelets for every court and sovereign of Nyalis.</p><p> </p><p>Yunho found his happiness too, in the enormous stalls of Meridien’s palace, where he was free to breed and study every single species of dragons. He became an important expert despite his young age, writing books and journals about the topic, traveling through every reign to share his knowledge with those willing to listen.</p><p> </p><p>When Ignis and Inlumino merged together, Meridien was born under the guidance of the two legendary rulers: Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun — lovers, soulmates, saviors and now kings. Over the years, the two rebuilt both of their reigns, giving them a new beginning, restoring their light and fire. Chanyeol and Baekhyun travelled the world, soaring the skies on Flamma’s back, and bringing that peace they longed for back to Nyalis.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol reached his lover on the balcony, holding him from the back and soflty kissing his nape. The whole world felt theirs as they stared at Meridien falling asleep right under their eyes, admiring the stars slowly appearing in the twilight. Their golden rings shined brightly under the warm light, giving them a cold sensation as they kissed, caressing each other’s faces.</p><p> </p><p>“Daddy! Papa!”</p><p> </p><p>The taller welcomed their daughter with open arms, while his lover stared at the two, a soft smile decorating his beautiful traits.</p><p> </p><p>During one of their journeys to Eurus, Chanyeol and Baekhyun met someone, an adorable four-year-old girl who had been left alone after both of her parents had lost their lives. It was quite a peculiar meeting, because the little child ran to them on her own, hiding behind Chanyeol’s long legs, scared by a small spider and, after Baekhyun killed it, she decided she wanted to stay with them for the rest of her life.</p><p> </p><p>“Uncle Yunho won’t let me play with his dragons!”</p><p> </p><p>“But dragons aren’t toys, Aerin” Baekhyun said, caressing his daughter’s hair.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re still too young to take care of them.”</p><p> </p><p>A soft laugh left their lips when their child scoffed, hiding her small face on Chanyeol’s neck.</p><p> </p><p>Everything was going well and their lives were finally worth of being lived.</p><p> </p><p>The past always tried to drag them down sometimes, to drown them in a deep, black ocean, as nightmares struck and tore them apart. But they finally had someone to hold them through the night, to cradle them inside their arms and whisper words of love to their ears.</p><p> </p><p>Chanyeol and Baekhyun lived a long life full of love and adventures, finally kissing under the stars of a sky that was not moonless anymore. It was a serene, with a dazzling moon and their names engraved among the stars.</p><p> </p><p>Legend has it that two stars still shine brighter than any other, right next to the moon.</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p><em>Together until the end of the world</em>.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>THE END</p>
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